Duel Academy: Next Generation
by BLS Barbaros
Summary: Duel Academy, and other schools like it, have ushered in a new star-studded era of Duel Monsters. Follow the journey of the newest crop of duelists who hope to be the world's best as they navigate life on Duel Academy Island. There are new friends, enemies, and challenges as well as an old threat. Rated T for language.
1. Arrival

**Saturday, August 30th**

The deck hand rapped twice on the heavy metal door, then opened it and quickly entered the ship's bridge. He shut the door behind him and scanned the room. The bridge was relatively small and not very busy, suitable to the passenger vessel. Two men sat a bank of electronic controls at the front, near the viewport, a third man standing behind them, staring out at the sea ahead.

"Captain," the deck hand said with a salute. The third man turned, showing his worn face and neatly trimmed graying goatee.

"What is it?" he gruffly asked.

"The passengers would like to know how much longer it will be until we reach land," the young sailor explained, "They're beginning to get restless."

"As expected," the captain murmured with a small smile. To the deck hand, he said, "Tell the kids that we will be arriving at Duel Academy within the hour!"

* * *

 _Theme music:_

 _Chillin' out with the crew in the school yard,  
Findin' trouble, never lookin' too hard.  
Well back at class, they never taught us this,  
Some things you gotta learn, hit or miss._

 _Tough times, hard climbs,  
We'll take 'em on together.  
Right now, let's go!_

 _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Generation Next!_

 _Game on, get your game on,  
Come on ya better play your cards right.  
Game on, get your game on,  
We'll make the grade and win this fight._

 _We'll make the grade somehow.  
Yeah!_

 _Yu-Gi-Oh GX!_

 _Game on, get your game on,  
Come on ya better play your cards right.  
Come on and get your game on!_

* * *

Elsewhere on the ship, a young man- he looked to still be a teenager- stared blankly at the passing waves as he leaned over a rail on the main deck. He was dressed rather plainly; a pair of jeans accompanied a nondescript white t-shirt. He tapped the toe of a New Balance sneaker against the deck of the ship as his wavy brown hair was whipped across his forehead by the ocean wind.

 _Well, not ocean wind,_ he thought wryly. The ship was traveling through the Gulf of Mexico, just west of Florida, where he had boarded. Near shore, where the water was shallower, he had seen the sea floor through the crystal clear water. It was much more appealing than the murky water of the East Coast beaches he had visited on summer vacations.

 _This is no vacation,_ he mused as he glanced around the deck. The deck was sparsely populated by people about his age, hanging out in groups of two or three for the most part. When they had boarded the ship, almost none of them knew each other; when they departed, they would be classmates.

The man turned away from the railing and strolled across the deck towards the stairs that led below. He carefully made his way down the flight of steps, a task made difficult by the rocking of the ship. At the bottom, he walked down a hallway with evenly spaced doors to either side. When he reached the third door, he knocked once and opened it without waiting for a response.

"How ya feeling, Beal?" he asked as he entered and closed the door behind him.

Inside the small room was a bed that took up about half of the available space. Another boy about the same age as the first sat on the bed, his head bowed and held in his hands. He looked up and shot a glare at the intruder, the impact of which was diminished by the slight greenish tinge to his skin.

"I haven't puked yet, if that's what you're asking," he replied sourly.

"If you keep up that attitude, I won't share my good news with you," the first boy said with a grin as he leaned back against the closed door.

The sick boy mustered a fake smile and said, "I'm so sorry, Simon, that my seasickness has me in a foul mood. Would you be ever so kind as to forgive me and share your good news?"

Simon made a show of considering the request and muttered, "I don't know, that sounded pretty sarcastic…"

"Tell me, or I swear to God, I will punch you when we reach land."

"Well when you put it like that," Simon replied with a frown, "A crewman told us that we'll be at Duel Academy in less than an hour. And that was about fifteen minutes ago."

"Good," the other boy said with relief, "The sooner I can get back on land, the better."

"Ya know John, if you don't like sailing, maybe you shouldn't have gone to a school that is only accessed by boat," Simon suggested.

John scowled and exclaimed, "It was _your_ idea to come here in the first place! I was going to go to a sensible college for a sensible career-"

"But you wouldn't be chasing your dream!" Simon interrupted, "Besides, we did well enough on the written entrance exam to earn scholarships, so it's not like we're wasting money on this."

"You're the one with the perfect score on the entrance exam," John countered sourly.

"Yeah," Simon replied smugly.

"If I wasn't about to puke, I would wipe that smug smirk off your face," John threatened.

"It'll be fun," Simon assured. He turned around and opened the door then stopped and said, "Trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Yes!" John cried, "The Philadelphia Tournament, when you convinced me to go for a joyride in 10th grade, and don't even get me started on Scranton-"

"Bye!" Simon said abruptly, slamming the door shut and dashing back to the deck.

"Scranton," he muttered and shook his head.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, John, Simon, and the rest of the students filed off the ship and onto Duel Academy Island. The island was located in the Gulf of Mexico, about a two hour boat ride from the west coast of Florida. It was approximately 10 square miles of land, accessible only by boat and helicopter. In fact, there was a helipad at the docks.

The island also held the campus of Duel Academy. The college was relatively new- this freshman class would be its tenth- and had a relatively small enrollment of around three hundred students. Of course, Duel Academy was rather unlike other colleges. Students could only get one degree here: a dueling degree. A degree in dueling only required three years of study at the Academy, but it wasn't the main goal for most students. No, most who enrolled at Duel Academy dreamt of becoming pro duelists.

"Land!" John cried happily. He dropped to his knees on the docks, and then to his belly, his arms splayed as he tried to 'hug' the ground.

"I missed you so much! I promise I will never leave you again!"

"Get up, lover boy," Simon said with disdain, "Do you really want to get busy in front of the entire freshman class?"

John got to his feet and shot a glare at his companion. Once he stood, he towered above Simon by about half a foot. Then again, most guys were taller than Simon. John's dark brown hair was shorter and came to a point in the middle of his forehead. Both boys had brown eyes, but where Simon's were almost light enough to be hazel, John's were a dark brown. His cargo shorts and black t-shirt were now covered in bits of dirt and rock.

"I was not 'getting busy'," John said indignantly, "Besides, this isn't the entire freshman class."

He was right, at least on the second point. A part of the freshman class had attended dueling prep schools instead of traditional high schools. Those students had gained entrance to Duel Academy by virtue of their performance in prep school, and had arrived on the island before the rest of the freshman class. Those that were in actual high school had to pass the Duel Academy entrance exams. Even then, some who passed the entrance exams were cut due to class size limits. John and Simon had attended a traditional high school, the same one in fact, and had passed the entrance exams.

"Students, students!" A voice called from the end of the harbor, "Listen up, please!" The voice belonged to a tall, skinny man in a long blue jacket with pink frills. At least, it might have been a man. He had an odd haircut, including a long blonde ponytail and appeared to be wearing light purple lipstick. His voice was shrill, but still vaguely masculine. The students from the boat quieted down and formed a semi-circle around the man.

"Thank you," he said once we were silent, "I would like to be the first to welcome you to the best dueling school in the world, Duel Academy!" He threw his arms into the air for dramatic effect and paused, seemingly for applause. The crowd of students remained silent.

"Anyhoo," he said with a noticeable scowl, "For those of you that do not know me, I am Dr. Vellian Crowler, Ph. D in dueling, professor at Duel Academy, and headmaster of the Obelisk Blue dorm."

"Dr. Vellian?" John muttered to Simon, "I _still_ don't know if that's a man or a woman!" Simon tried to suppress a laugh as his friend mirrored his own thoughts.

"Now, I will lead you all to the Duel Academy Main Campus. From there, we will go to the assembly hall, where Chancellor Sheppard will give you his spiel. Then, you will be assigned your dorms, uniforms, and schedules so that you may get settled in before the welcome assembly tonight," Crowler explained, "So, follow me."

The doctor turned and began walking inland along a well-worn path. The freshman followed, walking two abreast for the most part. John and Simon walked side-by-side near the back of the pack. After a minute or so, they intersected a path that led to a worn building along the shore.

"That's probably some kind of facilities services building," Simon guessed.

Next, they saw a much nicer two-story building that John pointed out as a dorm. By now, the Main Campus building was within view. It was a huge domed structure, with three taller pillars evenly spaced around the exterior. The pillars were each a different color; the leftmost one was red, the middle one yellow, and the rightmost blue.

"I wonder what all is in there," Simon commented.

"Classrooms," John said flatly.

"But, what about the assembly hall?" Simon asked, "And there are probably arenas, and maybe a room filled with cards!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," John cautioned.

As the main building grew closer, the boys caught sight of a magnificent blue roofed building on the shore of a lake. There seemed to be another identical building on the far shore, but it was difficult to tell from this distance.

"I wonder what that could be," Simon said.

"Looks too nice to be a dorm," John replied.

"Maybe it's some kind of hotel?" Simon suggested, "Like, for when people visit the island?"

"Maybe," John said doubtfully, "A little big, though. I mean, how many people are going to visit the island at one time?"

At this point, the party had reached the front doors of the Academy's main building. The group filed inside and entered a curving hallway. The hall seemed to follow along the outside of the building, with the outside wall functioning as one large window. However, the line of new students went straight ahead into a set of double doors that led to an auditorium. Crowler led them down the steps to fill the seats closest to the stage. Once everyone was seated, the auditorium was only about a sixth full.

The stage was mostly empty except for a central podium with a microphone. A bulky man in a maroon blazer stood behind the podium with a patient smile. The only hair on his bald head was his thick brown goatee and mustache. Crowler quickly joined him on the stage, standing just behind him on his right.

"Good afternoon, students," the cheery bald man began, his voice booming despite the fact that the microphone was apparently disabled, "Allow me to introduce myself: I am Chancellor Sheppard, head of Duel Academy. I would like to welcome all of you to Duel Academy Island. You are all here because you have shown tremendous potential in the game of Duel Monsters, and this is the best place to fulfill that potential."

"Yeah, but I've got the most potential," Simon bragged quietly.

"Is that what your Mommy tells you?" John chided.

"Now, today is your day to get settled in," Sheppard continued, "Since tomorrow is Sunday, it will essentially be a free day before classes begin on Monday. I suggest you use that time to explore the island and make some friends. As for the rest of today, shortly you will be assigned dorms. After that, each dorm will host an introduction dinner before tonight's assembly in the Duel Arena."

"I told you there was a dueling arena!" Simon whispered to John. John replied by subtly elbowing Simon in the ribs.

"At most colleges, students may choose which dorm they would like to live in," Sheppard said, "But here at Duel Academy, dorms are assigned based on dueling level. The lowest ranked dorm is Slifer Red. The majority of freshmen that did not attend a Prep School end up in Slifer Red. Next, is Ra Yellow, the middle dorm. This dorm usually houses students with great potential who haven't yet realized it. Many freshmen end up in this dorm as well. The highest dorm is Obelisk Blue. This dorm is reserved for the best of Duel Academy's students. Only freshmen that attended a Prep School are eligible for Obelisk Blue. However, very few freshmen are in Obelisk."

The new students began murmuring among themselves as Sheppard described the dorms. They mostly asked each other what dorm they thought they would be in. Crowler called for quiet and the murmurs quickly faded.

"Please, don't be disheartened by your dorm assignment," Sheppard reassured the nervous freshmen, "The assignments are based on your skill in both the field entrance exam and the written entrance exam. The written exam is not always indicative of a duelist's skill in battle, and there will be an opportunity for advancement at the end of every semester. Besides, most students reach Obelisk by their final year anyway. Now, I will call your names followed by your dorm assignment so please listen carefully. First, Isaac Adams, Ra Yellow…"

"Please be Ra, please be Ra, please be Ra…" John pleaded. He didn't have long to wait with a last name near the top of the alphabet.

"John Beal, Slifer Red."

"Damn!" he cursed, "I thought I would make Ra."

A few names later, Sheppard announced, "Simon Brown, Ra Yellow."

"Sweet!" Simon cried. John glared at him, and then swiftly punched him in the shoulder.

"It's not my fault!" Simon said indignantly.

"Well, you didn't have to be all happy about it," John muttered. Sheppard continued through the names as every student was assigned a Ra or a Slifer. By the end of it, there were about twice as many Reds as Yellows.

"Dr. Crowler will now lead you to your dorms. I will see all of you tonight at the Duel Arena," Sheppard concluded. Crowler got off the stage and told the students to follow him. He led them back out the auditorium and then out of the building. They followed the path they had walked earlier, John and Simon again noting the impressive blue buildings. As they approached the building that looked like a dorm, the group noticed an older gentleman in a yellow blazer standing where the main path intersected a path that led to the dorm.

"Hello students," the man said as the party approached, "I am Professor Sartyr, head of the Ra Yellow dorm. Those who were assigned to Ra Yellow should come with me. The rest should stay with Dr. Crowler."

"I guess this is where I get off," Simon told John.

"Guess so," John replied, "See ya around."

"Good luck in Slifer."

* * *

Simon and about twenty other students followed the aging professor down the path to Ra Yellow. Soon enough, the lake and blue buildings came into view.

"Professor," one of the female students asked, "What are those buildings?"

"Those are the Obelisk Blue dorms," he replied, "They have a male and female dorm."

 _Those are dorms?_ Simon thought, _I need to get to Obelisk ASAP._

The small party finally reached the Ra Yellow building. To make up for its lack of height, the dorm took up quite a large area. The building had yellow walls with a tiled roof and Japanese styled sliding glass doors.

"Before we enter, there are a few things I would like to say," Professor Sartyr told the freshmen. Sartyr was a shorter man, but still a little taller than Simon. His shoulder length salt and pepper hair was slicked back away from his face. He also had a thin graying mustache.

"First of all, the first floor of Ra Yellow houses the boys while the second floor is for the girls," he explained, "At six o'clock, everyone should be in the cafeteria for the welcome dinner. Right now, I will be giving you your room assignments. In your rooms, you will find your luggage, which the crew of the transport ship was kind enough to bring here for you, five Ra Yellow uniforms, which must be worn to all school functions, a Duel Disk, and a Duel Academy issued PDA, which we call Duel Pilots. This Duel Pilot will take the place of your cell phones, since, if you hadn't noticed, you won't be getting service out here."

Everyone reached into their pockets to check their cell phones. Simon groaned as he realized he had no cell service.

"The Duel Pilots have a text messaging system, and are pre-programmed with the contact information of all students and faculty on the island," Sartyr elaborated, "There are many other unique features that I encourage you to check out. But now, it is time for your room assignments."

* * *

John and the rest of the newly minted Slifers followed Dr. Crowler further down the path. The group once again reached an intersecting path with a waiting professor. This professor wore a white dress shirt with black slacks and a loose black tie. His black hair skirted his face and fell to his shoulders, except in the back where it seemed to reach down to his waist. His bespectacled face was clearly of Eastern European descent. What stood out most was the fat tan cat in his arms.

"Good afternoon students," he said with a clipped accent, "I am Professor Lyman Banner, head of the Slifer Red dorm."

"Well," Crowler interjected, "I'll just leave these slackers in your, er, capable hands."

 _What does he mean by 'slackers'?_ John wondered as Crowler strode away. Several students glared at Crowler's receding backside.

"Now, if you will please follow me to the dorm," Banner instructed. The cat leapt out of his arms and walked ahead of Banner down the path.

"Pharaoh, wait for me!" Banner called.

"I really hope he lets us play with his cat."

John looked to his left, where he saw a blonde girl several inches shorter than he with a wide grin on her face. Her freckled face looked up at him expectantly.

"I don't. I hate cats," John scoffed, "Dogs are way better."

"I just love animals," The girl replied with a chipper tone, "Dogs, cats, oooooohhhh ducks, I love ducks!"

"Right," John said hesitantly, "Who doesn't love ducks?"

"Right!" she exploded, "Oh, how rude of me! I didn't introduce myself. I'm Amy."

"John. It's uh, nice to meet you, Amy."

"We're going to be friends," Amy said definitively.

"Don't I get a say in the matter?" John asked, alarmed.

Amy ignored him and instead cried, "Ooohh, is that our dorm? Awesome!"

 _This is terrible!_ John thought. It was the ramshackle building he and Simon had thought was a storage facility for grounds keeping equipment. Upon closer inspection, the exterior paint was peeling, the red-tiled roof appeared to have several leaks, and the second-floor balcony looked rather unstable. John wondered how bad the inside was.

"Welcome students, to the Slifer Red dorm!" Professor Banner said enthusiastically.

"We're right on the beach!" Amy squealed.

The dorm was located on a bluff overlooking a small, rocky beach. There was a small, steep path down to the patch of sand below.

"As you can see, all of the rooms open up directly to the outside. There are additional rooms around the other side. However, there are still few enough rooms that everyone will have a roommate. Room assignments will be given after the welcome dinner," Banner informed his charges, "The cafeteria is through the sliding glass door, so please, go inside and eat!"

Several students dashed for the cafeteria, while others, including John and Amy, walked like normal, civilized people.

"Can I please speak to John Beal and Amy Hart?" Banner suddenly called.

"That's me!" Amy exclaimed. She looked up at John and asked, "Is that you?"

"Yes, that's me," John replied tersely. The pair stayed behind as the rest of their fellow Slifers entered the cafeteria.

"So, uh, what's up Professor?" John asked.

Banner smiled nervously and put one hand on the back of his neck, "Well, you see students, there is a _slight_ problem."

"What problem?" Amy wondered.

"Slight?" John questioned.

"You see," Banner continued, "There is an odd number of boys and girls in Slifer Red this year so…"

"So John and I get our own rooms!?" Amy asked hopefully.

"Not exactly," Banner answered with a nervous laugh, "Instead, one boy and one girl will have to room together."

John went wide-eyed and exclaimed, "Wait! You mean Amy and I are…"

"Roommates!" Amy shouted gleefully.

"If that's okay with the both of you," Banner quickly added, "If not, I will work with Chancellor Sheppard to make other arrangements."

"I'm definitely okay with it!" Amy declared.

John hesitated and glanced at her. Amy was beaming at him expectantly.

He sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess I'm fine with it too."

"Roommates!" Amy shouted again, leaping into John and wrapping him in a bear hug. She quickly let go and dashed towards the cafeteria crying, "Race ya!"

John stayed rooted to the spot and muttered, "I regret this already."

* * *

Simon entered room 108 of the Ra Yellow dorm. The door was painted to resemble a Japanese paper wall, but it was made of solid wood. The walls were painted yellow, like every other room in the Ra building. The interior was sparsely decorated, with a bed, a small flat-screen television adjacent, and a closet in the far wall. Two suitcases were placed on the bed, as well as several yellow blazers and the other items Sartyr had mentioned.

Simon immediately went for the smaller of his suitcases. He unzipped the bag and dug through clothes to the bottom. There he found eight deck cases, seven black ones and one white one, all filled with Duel Monsters cards. He laid the deck cases out on the bed before digging to the bottom of his second suitcase. There he found two shoeboxes filled to bursting with more Duel Monsters cards.

 _At least my card stash arrived intact,_ he thought. Simon next examined his school uniforms. Four of the blazers were exactly alike: they were primarily yellow with a button at the neck and waist and a zipper down the front with long sleeves. The area around the base of the neck was white, as was an outline on the chest in the shape of a V-neck. The fifth blazer had the same basic pattern, only it was primarily white with yellow trimmings.

 _Might as well try it on,_ Simon thought. He unzipped and unbuttoned the white blazer and slipped it on. He was just finished closing the jacket over his t-shirt when he heard a knock on his door.

"Coming," he called as he scampered over to the door. Simon put his eye to the peephole and saw an unfamiliar student in a yellow blazer. Simon shrugged and yanked the door open.

"Hello," he said.

The other boy was a few inches taller than Simon and had a well-muscled frame. His dark complexion and features spoke of a Pacific island background. His dark brown hair formed a widow's peak in the center of his forehead, but was otherwise slicked straight back. Other than the Ra Yellow uniform, Simon's visitor wore a green undershirt and black jeans.

"Hello," he said with a slight accent, "My name is Bastion Misawa. I live across the hall," he said, indicating the door directly across from us.

"Simon Brown," the shorter boy replied, "I guess that makes us neighbors." Simon extended his hand which Bastion firmly shook.

"Well, come in, I guess," Simon suggested. Bastion stepped into the room allowing Simon to close the door.

"I've heard that name before," Bastion said thoughtfully. He thought for a second, and then suddenly cried, "Eureka! You're the other student that received a perfect score on the entrance exam!"

"Yep, that's me," Simon said sheepishly, "I don't like to brag or anything- Wait, what do you mean 'other'?"

Bastion smiled and chuckled softly before replying, "I, too, earned a perfect score."

"Small world," Simon commented.

Bastion regarded the deck cases and shoeboxes on my bed and said, "Yes, indeed. I see you too have multiple decks. I myself have six."

"How do you have six decks? Learning how to do duel with one is tough enough. Not to mention trying to figure out which one to use. How do you keep all that straight?" Simon asked in wonder.

"What do you mean?" Bastion replied, "You have eight."

"Not really," Simon said, "The decks in the black cases are my test decks. The white case has my actual deck."

"Test decks?" Bastion asked.

"Yeah, well, as you can see, I have a large collection of cards. So, when I find a card I think I could use, it goes in a test deck. If I like it, I might put it in my main deck."

"Fascinating," Bastion said, "You must duel quite a bit with your test decks in order to try out so many cards."

"Definitely," Simon agreed, "In fact…"

* * *

Like the rest of the dorm, the cafeteria in the Ra Yellow dorm had yellow walls. It was filled with long wooden tables, also yellow. Large glass plates, cups, and silverware were set at each available seat. The cafeteria was quickly filled by the Ra Yellow students, freshmen and otherwise, all wearing the Ra Yellow uniforms. For girls, this consisted of a sleeveless, yet otherwise identical to the boys', blazer and a narrow yellow skirt. Professor Sartyr sat at the head table in the front of the room, facing the students.

"Welcome," he began once the cafeteria was full, "I am glad to see so many new faces this year. Many of you are about to begin your first year at Duel Academy, and some of you were in the Slifer Red dorm last year. Most importantly, none of you were in Ra Yellow at this time last year, which is most encouraging.

"The goal of our dorm is advancement," Sartyr elaborated, "Each of you has the potential to make Obelisk Blue, as determined by our staff. My goal is for all of you to be in Obelisk by this time next year.

"Now, before we eat, I would like to tell you a little about myself. As some of you may know, I am the head of the Game Design Department at Duel Academy. I also teach Duel Theory and hope to see most of you in my classes this sem-"

"I win!"

"Not so fast, Bas," Simon countered the excited Bastion, "I have a trap card."

Bastion stared at the field, which consisted of several cards laid out on the table. He looked at the card Simon had just revealed in his Spell/Trap Zone, and then at Simon in surprise.

"Widespread Ruin!" he cried, "But that trap destroys my monster!"

Simon grinned at his new friend and replied, "Yep, so when I attack next turn you'll be defenseless."

"Well done, young man."

Simon and Bastion both jumped to their feet in surprise, causing the rest of their fellow Yellows to burst into laughter. Sartyr stood behind Simon with a kind smile on his face.

"As much as I appreciate your eagerness to duel, it will have to wait until later," Sartyr gently reprimanded the boys, "Now, it is time to eat."

At the professor's proclamation, staff in gray Duel Academy uniforms entered carrying a large assortment of food in huge dishes. The students murmured eagerly amongst themselves.

"Well," Simon said, sitting back down, "I could eat."

"It all smells divine," Bastion added.

"Welcome to Ra Yellow!"

* * *

 _End credits music: Immortals, by Fall Out Boy_


	2. Challenge

Manni sat down in the top row of the Duel Arena. The second-year Obelisk had purposefully chosen an area where no one had sat down yet. Of course, by the time the assembly began, most of the seats would be filled. Manni planned on using his sour disposition to discourage anyone from sitting near him. His dark skinned face was set in a sneer and dark sunglasses hid dark brown, nearly black, eyes. His blue Obelisk jacket was open to show his black undershirt and the collar popped up around his neck.

The Obelisk glanced around the huge room in the center of Duel Academy. The room was organized like a coliseum; it was circular and the stadium-style seats rose from the arena floor to the top of the room, where a railing encircled the inside of the walkway. Four evenly spaced entrances were located at the top of the room, where students of all dorms were pouring in. There were two more entrances at the arena floor, directly opposite each other. The floor also housed the dueling field, a raised dais with two sets of marked field spaces, like a much larger version of a child's Duel Mat.

Manni turned his attention to the platform, where chairs were set up for the Academy's faculty. Chancellor Sheppard and Dr. Crowler were there along with Miss Fontaine and Dorothy, who ran the card shop. Fontaine was a youthful, athletic woman whereas Dorothy was middle-aged and rotund. There were a couple members of the staff that Manni didn't recognize, and of course Banner and Sartyr were busy leading their new freshman.

There was one student down on the arena floor: Zane Truesdale. Manni glared through his sunglasses at the blue-haired third-year Obelisk. Zane wore his white jacket buttoned and zipped shut and scanned the crowd with a critical dark blue eye. Truesdale did not have an intimidating frame like Manni. The older student was lean where Manni was strong and was several inches shorter. Zane gave off a cool, calm, and collected air that never seemed disturbed; Manni had an air of arrogance and disdain.

 _Truesdale,_ Manni thought bitterly, _I'll prove to the world that I'm the best. And even you won't stop me._

* * *

 _Theme music:_

 _Chillin' out with the crew in the school yard,_ _  
 _Findin' trouble, never lookin' too hard._  
 _Well back at class, they never taught us this,_  
 _Some things you gotta learn, hit or miss.__

 _Tough times, hard climbs,_ _  
 _We'll take 'em on together._  
 _Right now, let's go!__

 _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Generation Next!_

 _Game on, get your game on,_ _  
 _Come on ya better play your cards right._  
 _Game on, get your game on,_  
 _We'll make the grade and win this fight.__

 _We'll make the grade somehow._ _  
 _Yeah!__

 _Yu-Gi-Oh GX!_

 _Game on, get your game on,_ _  
 _Come on ya better play your cards right._  
 _Come on and get your game on!__

* * *

"Did ya miss me?" Simon teased.

John gave him a fake smile and replied, "I couldn't _stand_ to be away from you."

"Not too many people can," the newly minted Ra returned. He then asked seriously, "So, who's your friend?"

John and Simon had reunited on the walkway above the Duel Arena. Both students wore their respective uniforms, as did everyone else. Naturally, Amy had stuck with her roommate for the entire time they had known each other and nearly driven John to swim from Duel Academy Island to the mainland.

Sensing an opportunity to rid himself of the energetic girl, John said, "Simon, meet Amy. Amy meet Simon. He _loves_ ducks."

"Ducks?" Simon wondered. But Amy had already pounced.

"Ohmygosh! Ducks are the coolest! They are my _favorite_ animal!" she squealed in delight.

Simon looked directly at his friend and mouthed, _I hate you_.

John chuckled and leaned against the railing. He was impressed by the state-of-the-art facility, complete with holographic projectors lining the arena floor. Of course, the Duel Disks had their own projectors, but usually arena projectors were better quality. John sighed in relief as he heard Amy in the background, glad he wasn't on the receiving end of her incessant chatter, though he was sure Simon would pay him back sooner or later.

"There you are!"

John turned back to Simon and Amy when he heard the unfamiliar voice. He found another student in a Ra Yellow jacket speaking to Simon. This new face was taller than Simon (like usual) and had slicked back black hair, as well as gray eyes.

"You told me to save some seats but never showed," he complained in his odd accent.

"Sorry, Bas, I got held up," Simon said, with a significant look in John's direction and a quick glance at Amy, who didn't seem to notice. "I'd like to introduce you to my best friend, John Beal. John, this is Bastion Misawa, dueling genius of Hawaii, and fellow-perfect-score-on-the-entrance-exam-receiver."

"Nice to meet you Bastion," John said, sticking out his hand.

"Likewise," Bastion said, shaking it.

"And this is Amy Hart," John introduced, indicating the blonde, "My fellow Slifer Red freshman, and new roommate."

"Roommate?" Bastion and Simon questioned at the same time.

"Wow, no wonder you two are already friends," Amy commented.

"Yes, roommate," John answered, "So are we going to sit down, or what?"

"Sure," Simon said, "But I'm still going to ask you about this later."

John sighed as Bastion led the quartet to the seats he had staked out earlier. They were in the middle of a sea of red and yellow, opposite the side of the arena where the Obelisks sat.

"I wonder why all the Obelisk Blues are on one side and the Slifers and Ras are on the other," Simon said.

"Simple," Bastion replied, "The Obelisks don't like to mix with the other dorms."

"What do you mean?" Amy questioned.

"Well, since the dorms are organized by relative skill, the Obelisks believe they are better than the other dorms," Bastion explained, "So they tend to look down on the Yellows and Reds."

"That's terrible," John said.

"Wait till I beat a few of those Obelisks," Simon bragged, "Then they won't think they're so high and mighty."

"Sure," John said not so assuredly.

"You don't think I can?" Simon asked angrily.

"Quiet," Bastion scolded, "The assembly is about to start."

* * *

Zane was sitting in one of the folding chairs set up on the dueling field. His was isolated, placed a few yards away from the faculty's seats. The seat closest to his was empty, reserved for Sheppard, who was currently standing in the middle of the arena with a microphone in his hand.

"Settle down, settle down everyone," Sheppard spoke into the mic. The din of conversation quickly ceased, allowing the Chancellor to continue.

"Good evening students! It is an exciting time at Duel Academy Island; the dawn of a new school year is upon us! There is a new crop of first-years, the second-years are now old-hat at this, and the third-years are ready to go pro!" The crowd cheered, though Zane noted this was mostly fueled by the women.

"Before I talk about the Duel Academy rules and our special events this year, I would like to introduce everyone to Duel Academy's Duel King, Zane Truesdale! Zane?"

Zane rose from his seat and took the microphone from a smiling Sheppard. The Chancellor sat down and Zane addressed the crowd.

"For those of you that don't know me, I am Zane Truesdale, a third-year student in Obelisk Blue. I am also the top duelist on this island. Now, if you want my title, I warn you, you should not challenge me to a duel. In my time at Duel Academy, no one has ever touched my lifepoints, let alone beat me."

Soft murmurs went through the audience but Zane continued, "To be King, you have to put in the work. Dueling is only part of it; you need to be among the best in the classroom as well. So I encourage you all to work hard in and out of class and vie for the title of Duel King!"

* * *

The crowd cheered as Zane turned and handed the mic back to the Chancellor. Simon kept his eyes focused on the blue-haired student as he sat down with a stoic expression.

"I could take him," Simon said with a confident smirk.

"Unlikely," Bastion countered, "He's undefeated in his time at Duel Academy. He's never even lost a single lifepoint."

John started laughing and Simon just shook his head.

"What's so funny?" Bastion asked.

"I was kidding, Bas," Simon told his new friend.

"Don't worry," John said, "You'll pick up on his sense of humor if you spend enough time with him."

"Thank you, Mr. Truesdale," Sheppard said, "I hope the students take your words to heart. Now, please bear with me as I explain the Academy's rules."

To Simon, the rules seemed pretty straightforward. Sheppard explained that class attendance was mandatory, that all students were to be in their dorm buildings by 10:00 every night, the dorm rooms of the opposite gender were off limits after 9:00, and oh yeah, don't break the law (Sheppard answered a freshman's question with, "Yes, Duel Academy Island is still in America.").

What interested Simon were the dueling rules on the island. As it turned out, Duel Academy followed Pro League rules, to best prepare their students. Any duel that was officiated by the Academy (i.e. Academy tournaments, exam duels, or other special events) would be played with 8000 lifepoints while 'pickup duels' (when students challenge each other outside of class) could begin with 4000 or 8000 points, based on the duelists' preferences. Bastion said that he heard most pickup duels were of the 4000 point variety. Pickup duels could occur anytime outside of class and the 10:00 curfew and would also follow Pro League rules. Additionally, ante duels were strictly forbidden.

There was also a new currency system for the card shop. Instead of using money to purchase cards and packs as in years past, students used Duel Points. Duel Points were rewarded for winning duels and at the discretion of teachers. This way, students would earn cards rather than throw money around to get the best decks.

Finally, Duel Academy held three tournaments over the course of the school year. The first one was held just before Winter Break and was known as the Winter Festival Invitational. Then, just before Spring Break was the Tag Team Tournament (or TTT). The biggest tournament was saved for last: the Duel Academy Cup, a huge competition involving every student to decide the next Duel King. This would occur in the week before spring semester final exams.

Sheppard yielded the stage to allow the faculty to introduce themselves. Simon hardly paid attention, but managed to get the basics. There was Professor Banner, the headmaster of Slifer Red and Duel Alchemy teacher; Professor Crowler, PhD. in Dueling and headmaster of Obelisk Blue; Professor Sartyr, headmaster of Ra Yellow and teacher of Game Design and Duel Theory; Miss Fontaine, headmistress of Obelisk Blue; Brandon Thomas, a graduate student that will teach Contemporary Dueling; Professor Wasem, Duel History and Duel Media teacher; and finally Dr. Mitchell, who runs the Medical Wing. Once everyone was introduced, Sheppard wished everyone a good school year and dismissed the students back to their dorms.

* * *

 **Sunday, August 31st**

"You're late," John grumbled.

Simon flashed an unapologetic smile at his friend. John snorted before skipping a rock across the lake's surface. Earlier, Simon had sent him a message over Duel Pilot to meet him and Bastion here. Inevitably, Amy had tagged along with John. It was now mid-afternoon, and they had been waiting for the better part of an hour for the two to show up. Luckily, none of them were wearing their uniforms, or this heat would have been unbearable.

"Well, I _had_ to duel," Simon protested.

"Wow, you dueled already?" Amy said in disbelief.

"You _challenged_ those two Obelisks," Bastion corrected.

"And I beat one of them," Simon added.

"You beat an Obelisk?" Amy cried.

 _Just like Simon,_ John thought, _Can't go two minutes without starting a duel._

"Test deck?" he asked aloud, finding himself out of skipping stones.

"Yeah, two different ones," Simon confirmed.

"And did you learn anything?"

"Yes," Simon said matter-of-factly, "Those Obelisks are assholes."

"Why do you say that?" Amy asked.

"Because they were," Simon replied.

"The first one went into the duel thinking his victory was assured," Bastion explained, "When Simon won, the second one claimed it was a fluke. When that kid beat Simon, he-"

"He said 'I knew some first some-year Yellow shrimp didn't stand a chance against an Obelisk,'" Simon finished with a snarl. John knew Simon was a little sensitive about his height, but he had a feeling that wasn't the only thing making his friend upset. He loved dueling and thought of it as a game played for fun, which had led to some clashes with others who took it too seriously.

But most of all, Simon hated when people underestimated him.

"Don't worry about it," John counseled, "Besides, those weren't even your best cards, and you still beat one of them."

"I guess you're right," Simon agreed.

"Good, now that that's settled," John said, "Bastion, where the hell is your accent from?"

"Excuse me?" sputtered a startled Bastion.

"Your accent," John repeated, "Simon said you were Hawaiian, but you sound…well, not Hawaiian."

"Good question," Simon said, "So where'd ya get the accent?"

"First of all," Bastion said, "I am Hawaiian. I was born there. My father was offered a professorship at Oxford University when I was young, so I spent much of my formative years in England."

"So you have a Hawaiian-English blend?" Amy summarized.

"Precisely," Bastion agreed.

"So, did you guys check your schedule yet?" Amy asked, "It's on your Duel Pilot."

"We have, actually," Bastion answered.

"Yep," Simon jumped in, "I've got Freshman Dueling 101 first period, then Duel Theory 121, Duel History 201, Contemporary Dueling 101, and Traps 101 with sixth period free."

"How did you get into Duel History 201?" John asked

"By testing out of Duel History 101," Simon replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well," John said, "I have Freshman Dueling 101, Duel Alchemy 151, then a free period, Contemporary Dueling 101, Duel History 101, and Deck Building 115."

"You took Duel Alchemy?" Simon asked with disdain, "That's a bunch of pseudoscience!"

"It's required for all Slifer Red students," Amy explained, "I have it too. I have Freshman Dueling, obviously, then Duel Alchemy, free period, Deck Building, Traps 101, and Contemporary Dueling.

"I suppose I should go now," Bastion said wryly, "Freshman Dueling, Duel Alchemy-"

"WHY ARE YOU TAKING THAT?" Simon wailed.

"-Duel History 201, Contemporary Dueling, free period, and Duel Theory 221," Bastion finished before adding, "And I happen to find Duel Alchemy quite fascinating."

Simon shook his head and said, "Anyway, Bas and I have History together, Amy and I have Traps together, John, Bas, and I have Contemporary together, John and Amy have the entire morning together, and we all have Freshman Dueling together."

"And Amy, Bastion and I have Duel Alchemy together," John amended.

"I refuse to acknowledge that as a class," Simon joked.

"What class do you refuse to acknowledge?"

Simon turned around to find Professor Banner, with Pharaoh, smiling at the group. Simon's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly recovered and stammered, "J-just the Phys Ed courses. I mean, what does that have to do with dueling?"

"I wouldn't let Miss Fontaine hear you say that," Banner cautioned before strolling away, Pharaoh in tow.

"Nice save," John said sarcastically.

"Bye Pharaoh!" Amy called.

* * *

 **Monday, September 1st**

Simon burst into the classroom, his yellow blazer hanging open, a gray t-shirt beneath it. The room looked like any college lecture hall, with a chalkboard and podium in the front of the room, and auditorium style seats rising toward the doors. Simon surveyed the nearly-full room beneath him and caught a red-clad arm waving at him near the front. He sighed with relief and headed down to meet his friends.

"You're almost late," Bastion said once Simon sat down between he and John. Amy was on the other side of her fellow Slifer and Bastion sat on the aisle.

"You'll find that lateness and Simon go hand-in-hand," John quipped.

"You'll also find that John is an asshole," Simon added.

"Noted," Bastion replied flatly.

"Good morning students," Dr. Crowler said from behind the podium, "And welcome to Freshman Dueling 101. Now, I don't know how other teachers run their classes, but in _my_ class, you will sit by dorms. Slifer slackers will sit up front, then Ras behind them, and Obelisks at the top." The group of freshmen just stared at Crowler. No one moved.

"Now!" he barked.

"Well, I suppose we'll see you later," Bastion said to John and Amy. He and Simon exited their seats and moved up several rows. They soon found themselves in a sea of yellow blazers.

"Much better," Crowler drawled once his class was re-seated, "Now, today's lesson will be on…"

* * *

John tried to focus on the doctor's lecture, but he couldn't get his mind off Crowler's seating arrangement.

 _The man hates Slifers_ , he decided, _Why else would he keep saying 'Slifer slackers' and then organize the room by dorm? He's a damn elitist._

"John," Amy whispered, "you should probably be taking notes."

John broke out of his thoughts and glanced at Amy. She was studiously bent over her notebook, pencil furiously scribbling, as Crowler droned on. John noticed that most students were likewise embroiled in their notebooks.

"Probably," he agreed.

"I bet Simon and Bastion are taking notes," Amy muttered.

"So?" John asked.

"They're Ra Yellows!" Amy replied, managing to whisper and shout, "Don't you get it? They're better students than us."

John snorted and said quietly, "I guarantee I'm a better student than Simon."

"Really?"

"Turn around and tell me what he's doing right now," John challenged. Amy peeked behind her, and John could practically hear her jaw dropping at what she saw.

"He's sleeping!"

"So to recap," John said smugly, "Every Slifer student who is still conscious is a better student than a Ra who got a perfect score on the entrance exams."

"But, how did you know he-"Amy began before getting cut off by John.

"I knew he was asleep because we went to high school together," John told her.

"MR. BROWN!"

"I guess we aren't the only ones that know he's asleep," Amy said under her breath. John turned around and saw that Crowler's outburst had gotten Simon to wake up.

"Simon Brown, is it?" Crowler growled, "I expected more of you, considering your exemplary entrance exam score. However, it seems your attention span is about as short as you are. Perhaps with your behavior, you should take a seat with your fellow slackers in the front of room."

"Actually Dr. Crowler, I think I should sit with the Obelisk Blues," A now wide-awake Simon replied, making the suggestion sound as innocent as he could.

"And why is that?" Crowler fumed.

"Well, I beat one in a duel so I'm clearly on their level," Simon answered.

"Dumbass," John cursed under his breath.

By now, the teacher was standing in the front of the room with a face as red as a tomato and an expression resembling a bull ready to charge.

"You insolent brat!" he spat, "You will report to my office after 6th period today!"

"Yes sir," Simon answered.

"I'M A DOCTOR!" Crowler raged.

"Yes…doctor," Simon amended uncertainly.

 _You couldn't go one day without pissing off a teacher_ , John thought sadly.

* * *

Fast sat down with his tray of food at a round table in the cafeteria of Duel Academy's main campus. Several of his friends from his dueling prep school were already there. They all wore Obelisk Blue blazers.

"Hey guys," he said cheerily, "What's up?"

"We were just talking about that Yellow that pissed off Crowler," a kid with long curly black hair said.

"And he called out the Obelisks," a brown haired girl added.

"We've only been Obelisks for a few days," Fast pointed out, "Maybe we shouldn't get all high and mighty."

"But you _are_ Obelisks," a third voice said. The man who's voice it was sat down next to Fast and put an arm around his shoulders, "Which means you have a proud tradition of Academy dominance to uphold."

"You're brother's right, Fast," the curly-haired boy said.

"Wait, am I Fast or is he Fast?" the older Obelisk asked.

"I'm Fast," his younger brother answered, "You're just Joe."

"Well why aren't you 'just Jake'?" Joe asked.

"Because everyone calls me Fast," he quipped, "Anyway, we were talking about that dude from Ra Yellow?"

"What dude?" Joe asked.

"A freshman from Ra Yellow pissed off Dr. C during our Freshman Dueling class this morning," Curly-hair informed the elder Fast.

"How'd he manage that?"

"He said he beat an Obelisk student in a duel after he fell asleep in class," the brunette girl said softly.

"Really?" Joe said, sounding surprised.

"He's one of the Yellows that aced the entrance exam," Fast added, "He'd probably be an Obelisk if he had went to a prep school."

"But he's not an Obelisk," the black-haired boy said.

"We can't let him call us out," the girl added.

"I heard he lost to an Obelisk anyway," Fast said dismissively.

"So…what? He lied to Crowler?" Joe asked.

"That's what I think," Fast declared, "So if he didn't beat an Obelisk, what's it matter?"

"We can't let people claim to beat Blues," the girl said, "He needs to be taught a lesson."

"Your friend has the right idea, little bro," Joe said as he stood up, "Now, if you'll excuse me, a third-year like me can't spend too much time with freshmen."

"It's because you don't love me, isn't it?" Fast called as his brother walked away. Joe responded by giving Fast the bird. The younger man just laughed it off.

"Even your brother agrees with us," the black-haired boy said.

"Can we just talk about something else," Fast replied before taking a bite of his cheeseburger. Just then, the intercom beeped, signaling an announcement.

 _Would Jacob Fast please report to Dr. Crowler's office? Jacob Fast, to Dr. Crowler's office. Thank you._

"Well," Fast said as he glanced at his mostly uneaten meal, "There goes lunch."

* * *

Simon looked at the door on the third floor of the main campus. It said "ROOM 302, DR CROWLER" in big bold letters. He took a deep breath and rapped twice on the wooden door.

 _Man, I didn't want to piss him off_ , Simon thought, _I mean, the guy is an elitist asshole, but I shoulda kept my mouth shut! It's like Scranton all over again!_

"Come in," Crowler's curt voice came from the other side. Simon twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

The office was about as he expected it to be. The third floor was the only floor whose main hallway was windowless. This was because the rooms on this floor, almost entirely faculty offices, had the exterior wall. Crowler's desk was positioned near that wall, with a bank of windows behind it. The desk was rather neat, two organized stacks of paper and a laptop all that adorned it. The rest of the room was sparsely decorated. There were two chairs in front of and one behind the desk, but other than that there was no furniture. A tall plant occupied the two back corners of the room.

What Simon focused on were the people in the room. Crowler sat in the chair behind his desk, facing the door. That was to be expected, but the Yellow was caught off guard by the Obelisk Blue student sitting in one of the chairs opposite Crowler. When the boy turned, Simon was further taken aback.

"You look just like Jerry Fast!" he blurted.

"So I've been told," the Obelisk replied with a grin. He wore his blazer closed, but with the sleeves rolled up. His blue eyes seemed to glow with a childlike energy. He kept his dark brown hair close-cropped, but his sideburns snaked into a thin chinstrap beard that framed his square face.

"Mr. Brown, I'd like you to meet Jacob Fast, one of your fellow freshman," Crowler said.

"Nice to meet you," Jacob said, rising and extending his hand.

"Simon Brown," he replied, shaking the Blue's hand.

"As you may have noticed," Crowler continued, now with added smugness, "Jacob here is the youngest brother of Pro League duelist Jeremy Fast, whom I had the pleasure of teaching here at the Academy."

"He prefers Jerry," Joshua said, "Oh, and just call me Fast."

"Okay," Simon agreed.

"As I was saying," Crowler grumbled, "Young Mr. Fast here is also the younger brother of Joseph Fast, one of the school's most promising third-year students."

"Quite the pedigree," Simon noted.

"Yes, it is," Crowler smirked, "Most importantly, he will be your opponent in a duel tomorrow night."

Simon was silent for a moment, but he recovered and said, "Wait, so, this is my punishment? A duel?"

"Not just any duel," Crowler added, "A duel at the Duel Arena in front of the whole school."

"Sounds like fun to me," Fast said with a smile.

"Me too," Simon added, "I just can't wait to beat Jerry Fast's brother!"

"I think you mean _lose_ to Jerry Fast's brother," Fast replied.

"We'll see," Simon challenged.

"Yes, as will the whole school," Crowler muttered under his breath.

* * *

 **Tuesday, September 2**

"Students, please turn to page 12 in your textbooks," Professor Banner requested.

John flipped to the appropriate page as did Amy on his right and Bastion on his left. Unlike the discriminatory Dr. Crowler, Banner did not require his class to separate by dorm. Nevertheless, there was little mixing of dorms. Slifers took up half the classroom or more specifically, the bottom half. Yellow blazers dotted the sea of red, but most Ras sat together. The upper portions of the class were occupied by Obelisks, though they were rather few in number.

"So, Simon just has to duel an Obelisk?" Amy whispered to her friends.

"It appears so," Bastion confirmed, "Getting off scot-free, if you ask me."

"Maybe," John said pensively, "But he'll have a large audience." John remembered the message that had appeared on his and everyone's Duel Pilot last night announcing the duel.

"What does that matter?" Amy asked.

"I think Crowler is going for humiliation here," John replied.

"What do you mean?" Bastion asked.

"Think about it. Simon is now 'that Ra freshman that called out the Obelisk Blues'. I'm guessing most of the people on the island are going to watch this duel. If Simon loses, he's going to look like an idiot," John explained, "Which he is."

"Well…will he lose?" Amy asked worriedly.

"It's hard to say," Bastion responded, "I've never seen his true deck, just some of his test decks."

"Simon's good," John assured them, "But I don't know anything about this Jacob Fast he's gonna duel."

"Fortunately, I do," Bastion said, "Jacob Fast is a first-year Obelisk Blue. He attended the prestigious Pittsburgh Duel Prep School, and graduated at the top of his class. He is the youngest brother of Joseph Fast, a top-ranked third-year Obelisk, and Jeremy Fast, a well-renowned Pro League duelist who last year was voted America's Most Popular Duelist."

The trio lapsed into a worried silence until Amy asked what they were all thinking.

"So…will he lose?"

"Simon is good," John repeated, "But I don't know if he's that good."

"Mr. Beal!"

"Yes, Professor?" John asked nervously.

"I was wondering if you were too busy talking to your friends to pay attention to my lecture," Banner said civilly (i.e. unlike Crowler).

"No, sir. I paid attention," John assured the professor.

"Good," Banner happily said, "Then you can tell me which beaker I should add to complete my Duel Incense."

John looked at the demo table in front of the Slifer headmaster. A flask containing red liquid was held over a flame. To the right was a beaker filled with blue liquid; to the left was a beaker holding green liquid.

"The green one, sir," John confidently declared.

"That is incorrect," Banner said, picking up the blue beaker. He began adding the blue liquid to the flask.

"In the future Mr. Beal, you should pay more atten-"

BOOM!

Smoke curled out of the flask and licked around Banner's soot covered face. The professor managed to smile and say, "Perhaps I should pay more attention!"

* * *

"Okay class, tonight's homework is to figure out what the most important card in each of your decks is and why," the professor said, "Dismissed!" John stuffed his notebook into his bag and made to leave his Deck Building class.

 _Simon wants me to meet him at the Ra dorm, then I have to do my homework, then grab dinner, then watch that dumbass' duel,_ John thought, _is college always this busy?_

Like every other class, the Slifers sat in the lower portion of the classroom. Although no teacher but Crowler mandated the dorm-separated seating arrangement, it was observed by the students. As a result, John had to wait for the traffic to file out the back of the room.

 _I get why Simon doesn't like the guy, but is it worth getting on his bad side?_ John wondered. Then again, John, as well as everyone else wearing a red blazer, was already on Crowler's bad side.

"Hi."

John snapped out of his inner musings, startled by the voice as he reached the exit. He identified the source as a rather short girl with long curly dark-brown hair and energetic green eyes. The girl wore a white sleeveless blazer with blue trimmings and a short blue skirt: an Obelisk Blue uniform.

"Hello?" the Slifer Red said, still uncertain that she was talking to him.

It seemed she was, because she smiled, a wide smile that showed her pearly whites and lit up her eyes even more, then waved at John (even though she was about 5 ft. away from him) and repeated, "Hi."

"You said that already," John pointed out.

"Yeah," she replied, nodding, the smile replaced with a thoughtful look. She snapped back to the now-creeping-him-out-a-little smile and said, "I'm Anna."

"John Beal," he responded in kind. John gestured towards the hallway and Anna exited the classroom, John in tow.

"Gooden," she said, and then quickly added, "Not like, 'good, you told me your name'. Gooden is my last name."

"Got it."

"I thought I should tell you, since you told me your last name."

"Makes sense."

"So I'm Anna Gooden."

"Understood."

"And you're John…Bill?"

"Beal."

"Okay. Beal. Got it now. Jonathon Beal."

"Actually, John is my full first name."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Cool. Anna's my full first name."

"Well, Anna, not to sound rude or anything," John said carefully, the pair having made their way just outside the main campus while receiving several curious looks (It wasn't very often that an Obelisk talked to a Slifer, let alone an Obelisk girl talking to a Slifer boy. Plus, John was a foot taller than her and making faces at just about everything she said, adding a comical element to their progression through the hallway.), "But, why did you introduce yourself to me?"

Anna frowned at him and replied, "Ya know, you did sound rude."

John threw his arms into the air and headed down the path that led to the dorms.

* * *

Simon was lying on his bed, his Duel Disk next to him and his laptop resting against his knees. Bastion occupied the desk chair, typing away at his own laptop. The duo worked in silence, the only sound the tapping of keyboards. That is, until someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Simon called, not even bothering to look away from his computer screen. He heard John open the door and step inside before closing it.

"And who are you?" Bastion said.

Simon, who still hadn't taken his eyes off the laptop, said, "That's John, Bas. You've met him before and I invited him to come after class."

"Hello!" a distinctly female voice said. Startled, Simon snapped his head around towards the door. As he expected, he saw John clad in his Slifer Red blazer and tan cargo shorts. What he didn't expect was to see a short girl with curly brown hair and an Obelisk uniform.

John gave Simon his patented 'boy, you're stupid' look and said, "Well played, you lazy bum."

"If I'm so lazy, why am I doing homework?" Simon countered. John frowned and turned the laptop towards him so he could look at the screen.

"You're not!" he said in a sudden outburst, "You're on the internet reading about Duel Monsters!"

"Huh?" Simon said in confusion, taking his own look at the screen. He minimized the web page then showed John the new screen.

"That is a paper with only one paragraph," John stated flatly.

"And it's a good paragraph," Simon added.

"Lazy!" John scolded.

"Gentleman, as much as I am loathe to interrupt your argument," Bastion interrupted, because he apparently wasn't loathe enough, "I would like to know who _she_ is."

All eyes turned to the 'she' in question. She looked somewhat uncomfortable as she waved and said, "Hello."

"You said that already," Simon pointed out.

"Well what do you want me to say?" she implored.

"Your name would be a good start," Simon replied, "I'll go first: I'm Simon Brown."

"I'm Bastion Misawa," Bastion added.

"I'm Anna," she said, "Anna Gooden."

"Anna is her full first name, in case you were wondering," John said.

She glared at the much taller boy and snapped, "Shut up, John."

"Not to sound rude, especially since you've already mastered the art of telling Beal to shut up, which I truly appreciate," Simon began, "But why did an Obelisk girl follow a Slifer boy to a Ra's dorm, especially considering that said Ra is Obelisk enemy number one?"

Anna was silent for several seconds before saying, "Ya know, you did sound rude."

John doubled over in laughter as Simon and Bastion stared at him in confusion.

"What's so funny?" Bastion queried once John settled down.

"For once, I'm at a loss," Simon said.

"It's nothing," John wheezed, now at the tail end of his episode, "But seriously, Anna, why did you follow me?"

Anna sighed, took a deep breath, and said, "I need help."

The three boys stared at Anna in silent, shared confusion.

"With Alchemy 151," She elaborated.

"Ohhhh," they simultaneously said.

"But why ask John?" Simon questioned.

"Hey!" John cried indignantly.

"No, I mean she's an Obelisk. Why not ask one of her Obelisk friends instead of a complete stranger," Simon explained.

"And a Slifer Red at that," Bastion added.

"Hey!" John cried indignantly.

"Because I can't ask an Obelisk! It would be too embarrassing! I was so embarrassed to ask a Slifer that I panicked and kept saying 'Hi'! " Anna replied.

"I'm lost again," Simon said, "Bas, ya got anything in that encyclopedia you call a brain that can clarify things a bit?"

"Let's see," Bastion mused, "Anna Gooden…ah, yes! You're a freshman in Obelisk Blue and the valedictorian of The Chicago School of Duel Monsters!"

Once again, all eyes turned to a now-fidgety Anna.

"How did he know that?" she asked.

"Eidetic memory," Bastion supplied.

"If you were the valedictorian of a prep school, what do you need my help for?" John said.

"Because you're really good at Alchemy. You knew more than Professor Banner today!" Anna explained.

"And?" John pushed.

"And I don't understand it," Anna mumbled.

"Pardon?" Bastion said.

"I said I don't understand Duel Alchemy!" Anna shouted. Then, she turned to John and pleadingly asked, "Will you please _discreetly_ tutor me in Duel Alchemy?"

"Sure," John answered casually.

"No one in Obelisk Blue can find out," Anna emphasized.

"Not a problem," John assured her.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Anna cried, practically jumping into John and hugging him. She quickly let go, and blushing, excused herself and left.

"That is one strange girl," Simon concluded once she was gone.

"They seem to be drawn to me," John wryly noted.

* * *

 _End credits music: The Anthem, by Good Charlotte_


	3. Accepted

Dr. Crowler entered the Duel Arena and headed for the faculty section. He was a little later than he wanted to be because of his responsibility to herd the Obelisk Blue students to the arena. Even though attendance at the duel wasn't mandatory, the good doctor had ensured that all of his students were present.

The head of the Obelisk dorm took one of the few remaining seats, between his former student Brandon and Professor Banner. He frowned as he looked around the arena. Although Brandon had been a three-year Obelisk and interested in academia, Crowler had never liked the man. The graduate student was a Slifer sympathizer, something that didn't endear him to many of his fellow Blues.

"Looks like it will be a full audience," Professor Banner said to Crowler in his Germanic accent. Crowler didn't particularly like Banner either. He knew little about the man, other than that he was a trained archaeologist and chemist. What the head of the Slifer Red dorm had done before he came to Duel Academy, Crowler couldn't say. He didn't even know where the man was from! Lyman Banner certainly wasn't a German name, at least Banner was not.

"Yes, it appears it will," Crowler said in answer to his coworker's question.

 _All the better to humiliate that pest, Simon Brown!_ he thought.

"What was that?" Brandon asked.

"Wha- N-nothing!" Crowler stuttered. _I really must keep my thoughts in my head._

"Did you say something, Vellian?" Banner asked.

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

Fast, wearing his blue Obelisk blazer, black jeans, and a Duel Disk, leaned against the wall inside the tunnel that led to the arena floor. He checked his Duel Pilot for the time, sighed and slipped the device back in his blazer pocket. He turned his head to look deeper into the tunnel and saw what he had been waiting for: Two men, one tall and bald-headed, the other short with messy brown hair nearing his eyes and a Duel Disk strapped to his arm.

"Jacob, I see you're here early," Chancellor Sheppard said.

"Yes, sir," Fast replied, "My brother showed me where to go."

"Lucky you. I needed the Chancellor to find this entrance. It's like an underground maze down here," Simon said.

"Simon was telling me how excited he was for this duel," Sheppard continued, "I hope you share his enthusiasm."

"Of course," Fast confirmed, "The only thing better than a duel is a duel with an audience."

"Just like Jerry," Sheppard muttered. Out loud he said, "Good to hear! Remember, don't walk into the arena until Augustus calls your name and give us a good show! Now, I need to get to my seat. Good luck!" With that, Sheppard departed leaving the freshmen alone.

After a moment of awkward silence, Fast said, "So, that stuff you said to Crowler…"

"What about it?" Simon asked with a smirk.

"Well, was it true?" Fast asked with a smile, "No one knows if you were telling the truth or just trying to get the doctor's goat! You've got everyone talkin'!"

Simon leaned back against the opposite wall and groaned, "Man, I didn't want everyone talking about me. I just can't stand Dr. Crowler."

"Whaddya mean?" Fast asked, "Everyone is talking about you! It's awesome!"

"Not for me," Simon sighed, "Unless it's about my dueling."

"You sound like my brother."

"Jerry? The Pro Leaguer?"

"No, Joe, the stick in the mud."

"I would rather be like the other one," Simon grumbled with a note of wryness causing Fast to laugh.

"Ya know, you're not so bad," Simon told him, "For a Blue."

Fast laughed again and replied, "Gee, thanks for the compliment I guess. Really gonna help my self-esteem."

Now it was Simon's turn to laugh. "Well if you win, I'll give you a real compliment," he returned.

"Whaddya mean 'if'?" Fast questioned.

Simon patted the black deck case at his side and merely said, "You'll see."

"You never answered my question," Fast said after a brief moment of silence.

"What?" Simon asked in confusion.

"Did you really beat a Blue?" Simon was silent for a brief moment as he held Fast's questioning gaze.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I heard you lost to an Obelisk."

Simon chuckled and said, "I did. You guys are tough."

"So…you lied to Crowler to get him mad," Fast concluded.

"No, I beat a Blue too," Simon said, "I'm just as tough."

* * *

Manni walked into the Duel Arena, the din of noise constantly droning in his ear. He opted to lean against the railing on the upper deck instead of joining most students in the seats. Manni's gaze swept over the crowd behind his sunglasses. The Obelisks occupied the top third of the arena, while the Yellows and Reds were sprinkled through the bottom portion.

"There you are."

"Hello, Derek," Manni said without turning around. If he had, he would have seen an Obelisk student of average height with spiky black hair, a clean shaven face, and keen gray eyes. Derek leaned on the railing next to Manni.

"Have you been looking for me?" Manni asked.

"I knew not to check the classrooms," Derek said.

"Very funny," Manni said flatly.

"I'm surprised you came to the duel," Derek continued.

"And miss the Yellow punk get his ass handed to him? Please."

"I don't know," Derek said uncertainly, "I've heard this kid is good."

"He's dueling a Fast," Manni pointed out, "They're dueling royalty. He'll lose."

"Are you afraid this Fast might be better than you?" Derek chided.

"No," Manni replied staring across the arena, where he spied Zane standing alone on the upper walkway, "No one is better than me."

* * *

Zane could feel Manni's stare from across the huge room. He looked up and made eye contact with the Puerto Rican Obelisk, flashing him a smile. Manni looked away in irritation, causing Zane's smile to grow.

"What's up big bro?"

Zane wiped the smile off his face and said, "Does being twelve minutes older really make me your big brother, Syra?"

"Well that, and you're taller than me," Syra replied, enveloping Zane in a hug that he caringly returned. They broke apart and Zane looked at his twin sister. She had the same dark blue hair, but hers ran down her back, nearly reaching the waist of her blue blazer, and the same dark blue eyes. She wore dark tights under her Duel Academy issued skirt and a white sleeve under her Academy issued Duel Disk. According to the boys in Obelisk Blue, she was quite attractive, but Zane tended to be more menacing towards those who mentioned it.

"So, making moon-eyes at Manni Rodriguez again?" she asked teasingly.

"Not exactly," Zane answered, not returning the humor.

"You should ignore that guy," his sister advised.

"I don't have a problem with him," Zane said defensively, "He has one with me." Syra was probably the only person, besides their mother, who could make Zane defensive. It was something that he tried to avoid.

"Whatever," she said, clearly unconvinced. Zane rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"So have you heard about this Ra Yellow?" Syra asked, changing the topic.

"I heard he told off Dr. Crowler," Zane replied, "And frankly, it's about time someone did."

"He claimed he beat an Obelisk already," Syra said excitedly.

"Claimed?"

"No one is sure if he did or not," she explained.

"Well, I guess we'll find out," Zane said.

* * *

John walked into the Duel Arena flanked by Amy and Bastion. He used his height to scan the crowd, looking for one person in particular.

"Hurry up, John; I want to meet this Anna girl you were talking about!" Amy complained.

"There she is!" John said, pointing to a gaggle of Obelisk girls walking along the upper walkway. The trio headed towards the girls, quickly picking out Anna.

"Hey, Anna," John said once they were close enough. Anna turned away from the other girls and looked at John with a confused expression.

"Do I know you?" she asked rudely.

"Uh, well…" John sputtered, caught completely off guard.

"Let's get away from this Slifer slacker," one of the girls said. The group, including Anna, walked away without a glance back.

"That was odd," Bastion commented.

"Are you sure that was her?" Amy asked.

"Let's just get our seats," John growled. The others seemed to realize they should drop the topic and instead followed John into the stadium seating. They easily found a few available seats in the middle of the arena. They sat in an awkward silence, John fuming at Anna's treatment.

After several minutes of aborted attempts at conversation, Dr. Crowler climbed onto the dueling field with a microphone in hand.

"Welcome, students of Duel Academy, to the first official duel of the year!" he announced. The crowd cheered enthusiastically.

"This duel will serve as discipline for a student's behavior in class. It will be contested with 8000 lifepoints and Pro League rules," Crowler explained, "Now, it's time to introduce our duelists! Mr. Caesar?"

Crowler made his way off the field, and a student in an Obelisk Blue uniform with spiky blonde hair and a microphone replaced him.

"How ya doing, Duel Academy?" he called. The crowd went wild.

"Good to hear. Now for those that don't know, my name is Augustus Caesar, your Duel Academy Emcee!" Again, the crowd cheered for the student, mostly the Obelisks.

"Thank you, but this isn't about me," he said, "This is about tonight's duelists! Reppin' the Ra Yellow dorm, a freshman from West Pennsboro High School in PA, I'm sure you know him by now, Simon Brown!"

Simon entered the arena from the lower tunnel, giving a wave to the audience, which burst into a loud cheer, fueled by Yellows and Reds.

"Yay, Simon!" Amy cheered, excitedly clapping.

"Uh-oh," John muttered.

"What is it?" Bastion inquired.

"He has a black deck case," John pointed out, "He's using a test deck."

"Uh-oh," Amy and Bastion muttered.

"And from the Obelisk Blue dorm," Caesar continued, "A fellow freshman from Pittsburgh Prep, if you don't know him, you know his brothers, Jaaaaaacoooooob Fast!"

From the same tunnel emerged a man in an Obelisk Blue uniform with short brown hair, a chinstrap beard, and a huge smile. He also waved to the crowd, whose cheers were fueled by the Obelisks.

"Duelists, take your places!" Caesar commanded. Simon and Jacob moved to opposite ends of the field, turning to face each other.

"Now, duel!" he cried, heading to the arena floor.

"I hope Simon knows what he's doing," Bastion said as they drew their opening hand.

"Me too, Bastion," John replied, "Me too."

* * *

"You get first move," Simon said once he drew his first five cards.

"Thanks," Fast said, "But you might regret that. I'll start by setting one monster in face-down defense mode." A sideways face-down card appeared in front of him.

"You're up," he said.

"Not much of a move," Simon taunted as he drew a card, "I'll summon Evocator Chevalier (1900 900) in attack mode!" Simon slapped the card on his Duel Disk, and a knight with a long curved sword and flame-red armor appeared.

"Now, attack that set monster!"

The Chevalier cleaved Fast's card in two, revealing a blue and purple skinned demon which was quickly shattered into pixels.

"That monster was the Mad Reloader," Fast explained, "When it's destroyed by battle, I can send two cards in my hand to the Graveyard and then draw two cards, which I'll do now."

 _Interesting,_ Simon thought, _I wonder what kind of strategy he's using that he needs to make a move like that._

"I'll set one card, and end my turn," Simon announced, a set card appearing before him.

"And it appears that Brown strikes first!" Augustus announced, "Will Fast's new cards help him turn the duel?"

"Nice monster," Fast commented, "Let me show you one of mine: Armed Dragon LV 3 (1200 900), in attack mode!"

Before Fast appeared a man-sized dragon with orange scales and gray armor. It had small orange wings and an armored tail. The dragon flexed its gauntleted arms and gave Simon a stink-eye.

"Tell me how you really feel," Simon deadpanned at the monster. In response, the dragon turned around and wiggled its butt at the unfortunate Ra, causing the crowd to erupt in laughter.

"Playful, isn't he?" Fast said.

"Playful? Is that what you call it?" Simon questioned.

"I'll end my turn with a face-down card," Fast finished.

"Alright," Simon said, drawing a card, "Time to rid the field of that mooning dragon!"

"Not AD3!" Fast cried.

"AD3?"

"Yeah, Armed Dragon LV3," Fast explained.

"Okay, that's it!" Simon said forcefully, "I'm getting rid of that thing!"

"Not this turn!" Fast cried, "I activate my trap card, Thunder of Ruler!"

"Not good," Bastion said to John and Amy.

"I can only activate this card during your Standby Phase," Fast elaborated, "It forces you to skip your Battle Phase for this turn."

"So Simon can't attack that Armed Dragon," Amy said, "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that dragon will cause serious problems next turn," Bastion warned.

Meanwhile, the Armed Dragon had stuck out its tongue at Simon and was again giving him the stink-eye.

"In that case," Simon announced, "I'll just Gemini Summon my Evocator Chevalier."

"Gemini Summon?" John asked.

"Indeed," Bastion replied, "Certain monsters, known as Gemini monsters, can be summoned twice and upon the second summoning, they gain effects."

"So Simon is giving his monster an effect," Amy surmised.

Simon's swordsman glowed with a red energy, and it held up its sword menacingly at the Armed Dragon. Fast's monster cowered in fear.

"Hey, you're scaring him!" Fast complained.

"That's the point," Simon replied sinisterly.

"My move!" Fast called as he drew, "And now, it's time to say your goodbyes to AD3."

"Oh, how sad," Simon said sarcastically.

"You see, during my Standby Phase, I can activate the effect of my Dragon: by sending it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Armed Dragoon LV5 from my hand or deck!" Fast explained, "So straight from my deck, welcome Armed Dragon LV5 (2400 1700)!"

The irritating monster began to transform; its body grew larger and the red scales became a deep red. The armor became a darker gray with silver spikes in neat rows and the dragon's facial expression went from amusing to mean. Its wings remained comically small, spoiling the effect somewhat.

"So is this AD5?" Simon asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Fast replied, "This is Cinco Rojo!"

"Of course it is," Simon muttered.

"Next, I activate the magic card Mind Pollutant," Fast said, "For this card, I must discard one monster from my hand, so I'll send Dark Luscius LV 4 to the Graveyard."

"Why would you tell me which monster you were discarding?" Simon asked.

"Because you need to know that I discarded a level 4 monster," he explained, "Since Mind Pollutant allows me to take control of a monster with the same level as the one I discarded!"

"And Evocator Chevalier is level 4," Simon said sourly.

"Exactly," Fast confirmed. A hazy purple humanoid appeared on the field and dove into Simon's monster. A purple glow surrounded the Chevalier as he stiffly walked to the other side of the field and turned to meet his former master.

"Without your monster, you're wide open!" Fast cried, "Armed Dragon, attack directly!"

"Did you forget about my trap card?" Simon asked.

"Trap card? Uhhhh…maybe?" Fast replied.

"I activate the trap, Butterflyoke!" Simon cried as he pushed a button on his Duel Disk, causing his set card to flip face-up.

"Here's how it works: When you declare an attack, Butterflyoke targets the attacking monster. Then, it changes that monster to defense position."

Glowing yellow butterflies surrounded Fast's dragon, forcing it into a kneeling stance.

"Then, my trap equips to your monster, giving me the power to change that monster's battle position once per turn."

The butterflies landed on the Armed Dragon, covering its red scales.

"Then it's a good thing I have a second monster," the Obelisk said, "Evocator Chevalier, attack Simon directly!"

The monster charged, though its movements still seemed stiff, and buried its sword in the Ra's gut. Simon winced and held his midsection.

S: 6100 F: 8000

"And Obelisk Blue's Jacob Fast draws first blood!" Augustus cried, followed by a large cheer from the Obelisk section.

"That'll be all for my turn," Fast concluded

The purple glow vanished from the possessed swordsman, replaced by its previous red hue. The monster returned to Simon's side of the field.

"I almost forgot," Fast said, "Mind Pollutant's effect only lasts until the end of my turn."

"Nice to have ya back, you traitorous asshole," Simon muttered to his monster as he drew. Out loud, he said, "Now that I have my monster, I'll use him to destroy your Armed Dragon!"

"Right!" Amy cried, "Since that Dragon is in defense mode, Simon's monster can beat it no problem!"

"True," Bastion agreed, "But I think Simon has something else in mind."

"Something you want to mention, Bastion?" John queried. Bastion grinned smugly in response and returned his attention to the field.

"I activate the effect of my Evocator Chevalier!" Simon announced, "By sacrificing one Equip card I control, I can destroy one card on my opponent's side of the field!"

"And your Butterfly-thing counts as an Equip card!" Fast realized.

"Precisely," Simon said, "Do your thing, Chevalier!" The glowing creatures disappeared from Fast's dragon, but Chevalier quickly cut it to pixels before it could take advantage.

"Now let's keep it rolling! I summon Sunlight Unicorn (1800 1000)!"

Next to Evocator Chevalier appeared a unicorn with fur the slightest bit tinged blue. It also had blue hooves. and blue flames encircled its ankles and made up its mane and tail. Once it appeared, laughter erupted from most of the males in the arena.

Even Fast could barely contain his laughter. "A monster called 'Sunlight Unicorn'?" he asked.

"Sure, it isn't the manliest monster," Simon admitted, "But it has a useful effect: During my Main Phase, I reveal the top card of my Deck, and if it's an Equip Spell card, it gets added to my hand."

"And if not?" Fast asked.

"It goes to the bottom of the deck," Simon replied, "Now, let's see how my luck is today." Simon picked up the top card of Deck and looked at it before showing it to his opponent.

"No way!"

"Black Pendant!" Simon cried, "And now I'll equip my newly acquired Pendant to Sunlight Unicorn, increasing its attack by 500 points (2300 1000)!"

As Simon placed the card in his Duel Disk, a necklace on a dark chain with a small dark gem appeared around the neck of his Unicorn.

"As if it could get any less manly," John groaned.

"I think its majestic," Amy said.

"And I'm not done yet! I play the Equip Spell Lucky Iron Axe to increase Chevalier's attack by 500 points (2400 900)!" Now, his Warrior was holding a small axe in his off-hand.

"That's a lot of attack power," Fast stated.

"Especially since your field is empty," Simon pointed out, "Go my monsters, attack directly!"

First, Sunlight Unicorn gave a mighty neigh and charged at Fast, jabbing its horn into his midsection, causing him to double over. Then Evocator Chevalier swung its weapons in an 'X' across his torso. Fast was knocked flat on his back.

S: 6100 F: 3300

"And in one move," Augustus announced, "Simon Brown of Ra Yellow takes over half of Fast's lifepoints!" The Obelisks booed as the rest of the students cheered.

"My unicorn isn't so girly now, is it?" Simon said smugly.

"Nah, it's still pretty girly," Fast replied, standing up, "But that was a sweet move. Now, let me do you one better!" Fast drew his card and smiled.

"I activate the Magic card Pot of Greed! As I'm sure you know, it allows me to draw two cards." He did so, bringing his hand to five cards. "Next, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! This card lets me destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field, and since I know how much Evocator Chevalier loves Equip cards, I'll destroy Lucky Iron Axe." The axe shattered into pixels (EC: 1900 900).

"Wrong choice," Simon said, "Since the Lucky Iron Axe was destroyed by your card effect, I get to draw one card. Pretty lucky, huh?"

"Not as lucky as this card," Fast countered, "Monster Reborn!"

"Oh, shit!" Simon groaned.

"Time to revive, Cinco Rojo, Armed Dragon LV 5 (2400 1700)!" Fast's Dragon returned, looking angrier than ever.

"I'm sure he wants a shot at your Chevalier," Fast said, "But first I'm gonna take care of your Unicorn. You see, my Armed Dragon has a useful effect of its own: By sending one monster from my hand to the Grave, I can destroy one of your monsters with a lower or equal attack. So, I'll send Mystic Swordsman LV6 (2300 1700) to the Graveyard to destroy Sunlight Unicorn!"

Fast placed the card in his Graveyard slot and then the Armed Dragon launched its spike-like protrusions from its body at the Unicorn, creating a huge explosion and destroying the monster.

"You may have taken out my monster, but you lose 500 lifepoints since Black Pendant went to the Graveyard," Simon said.

S: 6100 F: 2800

"Small price to pay," Fast said dismissively, "Now, Armed Dragon LV5, attack Evocator Chevalier!"

The Armed Dragon took its clawed hands and raked them across Simon's Chevalier in an 'X' pattern, turning the monster into pixels.

S: 5600 F: 2800

"And my turn isn't quite finished," Fast added, "My Dragon has another effect. During the End Phase of a turn when it destroys a monster by battle, I can sacrifice it to summon Armed Dragon LV7 (2800 1000)!"

Again, Fast's Armed Dragon transformed. Now, it had full blown silver armor with rows of spikes running along its body. Its wings were replaced by huge spiked protrusions from its shoulder blades. Drills protruded from its hind legs and tail. The new dragon let out a huge roar, causing the Obelisk students to go into a frenzy.

"Level seven," John murmured, "This isn't good."

"And it probably has an even worse effect," Amy added.

"Not to mention Simon's field is bare," Bastion pointed out, "He's going to have a hard time getting out of this. Even with his significant lifepoint advantage, I project his odds of winning at just five to one."

Then Simon started laughing.

"It looks like he thinks his odds are a little better," John said wryly.

"Or he's lost it," Amy countered.

"Entirely possible," John conceded.

His opponent grinned for a moment before interrupting the Ra's burst of mirth.

"What's so funny?" Fast asked.

Simon calmed down and said, "I finally figured out how I'm gonna win!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Usually it doesn't take me this long, but your cards were all over the place at the start of the duel," Simon explained, "Now it makes sense!"

"Would you please tell me what you mean?" a vexed Fast asked.

"Almost all of your monsters are LV cards, right?" Fast nodded, so Simon continued, "When you started the duel with Mad Reloader, it threw me off. Were you using some kind of Exodia or mill deck? But really, you just couldn't summon any of the monsters you initially drew because they were the high-level LV monsters. You just needed to draw the low-level ones.

"Then you used Thunder of Ruler, which is a good Trap, but it doesn't really tell much about someone's deck. Except that it fits perfectly with yours! You need a way for the weak low-level LV monsters to survive in order to summon the strong ones, and Thunder of Ruler lets you stall. It's a brilliant strategy!"

"You're right about everything," Fast said, impressed, "But how does this lead to you winning?"

"Well, you've been discarding cards all duel," Simon said, "Including monsters in the middle of an LV chain. Once you discard those monsters, those chains become basically useless. So by my count, if I destroy your Armed Dragon here, you won't be able to summon another powerful monster before I win."

Fast smirked at Simon and replied, "There's only problem with your master plan: You won't destroy my Armed Dragon!"

"We'll see!" Simon cried as he drew to begin his next turn. He critically appraised the four cards in his hand before saying, "Here goes! I summon Maha Vailo (1550 1400) in attack mode!"

A sorceress with blue robes and a matching blue headdress appeared floating cross-legged over the field.

"I'm afraid she doesn't stack up to my Dragon," Fast pointed out.

"That's why I'm adding this: the Equip Spell Fighting Spirit! It increases my monster's attack by 300 points for every monster on your side of the field (MV: 1850 1400)! Plus, Maha Vailo gains 500 attack points for every Equip card equipped to her (MV: 2350 1400)."

"My Dragon is still stronger," Fast said dubiously.

"Then I guess I won't attack," Simon said wryly, "I set one card and end my turn."

"What kind of game are you playing?" Fast wondered aloud as he drew.

"This kind! I activate my face-down card, Blast with Chain!" Simon exclaimed. A stick of dynamite appeared in Maha Vailo's hands with a chain wrapped around it.

"Another Equip card?" Fast asked.

"Yep, once activated, Blast with Chain becomes an Equip card and increases the equipped monster's attack by 500 points," Simon said, "And don't forget, my Spellcaster gains an extra 500 points per Equip card!" (MV: 3350 1400)

"And Brown has now made his monster stronger than the Armed Dragon!" Augustus cried, "Now Jacob Fast is the one on the ropes!"

"I gotta hand it to ya, that was a great move," the Obelisk said, "You know how to throw together some nice combos."

"Well, uh, thanks," Simon said, thrown off by the unexpected praise.

"But," Fast added, "You didn't take into account the effect of my monster."

"What effect?"

"By discarding a monster from my hand to the Graveyard, Armed Dragon LV7 destroys all monsters you control with less or equal attack than the discarded monster."

Simon smiled in relief and said, "Then I should be fine. After all, what are the odds that you're holding a monster with more than 3350 attack?"

Fast held up one card for Simon to see. Silent Magician LV8, attack: 3500.

"Bastion," John said, "What were the odds that he was holding a monster that strong?"

"I would put them north of ten to one," the Ra answered.

"Simon is gonna lose," Amy said quietly.

"Now Armed Dragon, destroy his Maha Vailo! Serrated Sonic Disks!"

The spikes running along the Dragon's armor detached to form spinning blades that flew straight for Simon's sorceress. The monster was consumed in a huge explosion. A bundle of dynamite emerged from the smoke, landing at the feet of the Armed Dragon. The dynamite blew, destroying the Obelisk's monster and causing a huge cheer from the lower dorms.

"Wha-What happened?" Fast stammered.

"You aren't the only one with a plan-spoiling effect," Simon said proudly. He screwed up his face and added, "That sounded way better in my head. Anyway, that was the second effect of my Blast with Chain Trap."

"Which is?"

"Whenever it is destroyed by a card effect when equipped, I can destroy one card on the field, such as Armed Dragon LV7."

"And Brown surprises with a hidden effect trick to destroy Armed Dragon LV7!" Augustus announced, "What a great back and forth duel!"

"You knew about my monster's effect!" Fast accused, "You wanted me to use it the whole time!"

"Maaaaaaaaayyyyyyyybe…" Simon replied innocently.

"Clever, but not clever enough," Fast said, inserting a card into the Duel Disk, "I activate Level Modulation!"

"Ok, now I'm lost," Simon said.

"This card allows you to draw two cards, but in return I can Special Summon one monster with 'LV' in its name from my Graveyard. However, it can't attack or use its effect this turn."

"So you're bringing back LV7?"

"Nope, I'm gonna do you one better: I'm summoning Armed Dragon LV10 (3000 2000)!"

"LEVEL 10!?" Amy cried.

"But when did that get in his Graveyard?" John wondered.

"It must have been when he used the effect of Mad Reloader at the very beginning of this duel!" Bastion realized.

On the field, two dice were rolled showing a pair of fives. The dice were soon replaced by a much larger version of Armed Dragon LV7. This one stood on two legs, had huge metallic wings, and had even more body armor. It roared loud enough to make Simon wince.

"At least he didn't go for AD3," he muttered. Out loud, he said, "Impressive, but it's basically useless for the rest of your turn."

"That's why I have this," Fast stated, holding up the last card in his hand, "A card called Level Down!?"

 _I've got a bad feeling about this,_ Simon thought in his best Han Solo voice.

"Here's how it works: I can return one LV monster on the field to my deck to Special Summon a lower level LV monster listed in the returned monster's card text from my Graveyard. So now, welcome back Armed Dragon LV7!"

The big version was replaced by the little version as Simon begrudgingly picked up his two cards.

"And this one can attack! Go, Dragon Talon Terror!"

The monster raked its huge claws across Simon's body, causing him to fall and cry out. Of course, the Obelisks whooped and cheered with glee.

S: 2800 F: 2800

"C'mon, get up, get up," Amy urged.

"It's all tied up now," John observed.

"Yes," Bastion said, "But Simon is at a distinct field disadvantage."

"Are you always this cheery?" John asked, as Simon regained his feet.

"So my gambit may not have worked quite as I had hoped," Simon said, "But I still have a shot!" he drew a card, glanced at it, and slapped it down on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Woodland Sprite (900 400) in defense mode." A small creature made of tree bark and leaves appeared in front of Simon in a kneeling stance.

"And now I equip it with the Axe of Despair to increase its attack by 1000!" An axe the size of Simon's Sprite appeared next to it. The monster struggled to lift the weapon, to the laughter of all present. (1900 400)

"Why increase its attack when it's in defense mode?" Fast inquired.

"Because now I can use my monster's effect," Simon replied, "By sacrificing an Equip Spell card equipped to Woodland Sprite, I inflict 500 damage to you."

The Sprite finally managed to lift the axe and promptly flung it at Fast who deftly knocked it aside with his Duel Disk.

S: 2800 F: 2300

"And that's all for now," Simon finished.

Fast drew a card and said, "Then I'm afraid this duel is over. I summon Ultimate Insect LV3 (1400 900)." Next to the Armed Dragon appeared a grotesque purple caterpillar with red stripes running the length of its spike lined body.

"Now, Ultimate Insect, attack his Woodland Sprite!"

The bug opened its maw and fired green acid at the small plant. The acid consumed Simon's monster, leaving him wide open.

"Armed Dragon, end this! Dragon Talon Terror!"

"He's gonna lose!" Amy cried.

 _Coo!_

"What was that?" Fast cried in surprise.

 _Coo!_

"Look, the Armed Dragon!" Bastion yelled.

Everyone in the arena turned their attention to Fast's monster. Just a moment ago, it had raised its claws, poised to strike, but now it seemed almost passive. On each of the dragon's shoulders rested a small monster in the shape of a ball with a diamond-shaped horn between its eyes. The horn's upper tip was red and the colors of the rainbow ran in diagonal strips through the horn, ending in blue. Its face was indigo, and the rest of the monster was violet. More and more appeared, each with a soft _Coo!_ , until the Armed Dragon was covered with them everywhere but the face.

"What the hell are those things!?" Fast demanded.

Simon, who had been grinning devilishly the entire time, replied, "Those are Rainbow Kuriboh (100 100)! And their effect will enable this duel to continue!"

"Another girly monster?" Fast quipped.

"Another _useful_ monster," Simon corrected, "You see when an opponent's monster attacks while Kuriboh is in my hand, I can equip it to the attacking monster. As long as Rainbow Kuriboh is equipped to a monster, it cannot attack."

"Looks like you've bought yourself some time."

"I'll make the most of it," Simon replied, drawing a card to begin his turn.

 _Or not,_ he thought, _I don't have anything that can take down that Armed Dragon._

"I set one monster and end my turn," he said.

"You're gonna need more than defense to beat me," Fast taunted, "Now I sacrifice Ultimate Insect LV3 to summon Ultimate Insect LV5 (2300 900)."

The caterpillar transformed into something that resembled a cockroach. It had a sickly blue carapace lined with spiky protrusions and a purple face and underbelly. It wielded a wicked set of upper and lower mandibles, and every leg resembled a long, sharp claw.

"Since it was summoned by the effect of Ultimate Insect LV3, all of your monsters lose 500 attack and defense points."

 _As if it could get much worse,_ Simon thought.

"Hey, Bastion, what are his odds now?" John asked.

"Low," Bastion replied flatly.

"Did he just make a joke?" John asked Amy. She just stared at the field, a concerned look painting her face.

"Ultimate Insect, attack his face-down monster!" The bug skittered over to Simon's monster, revealing The Kick Man (1300 300- 800 0). Then, it used its huge mandibles to devour the monster, to the disgust of most of the crowd.

"I'll end my turn with a face-down."

"Ok, my turn," Simon said, "I draw—"

"And I activate my face-down card, Dust Tornado!" Fast announced, "This card allows me to destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field, and since right now Rainbow Kuriboh counts as a Magic card, it's going to the Graveyard."

 _Shit!_ Simon mentally yelled. One by one, the Kuriboh shattered each one with a soft _Coo!_.

"Next turn, my Armed Dragon will be free to attack," Fast pointed out.

 _Yep, and I have nothing but two Equip cards in my hand_ , Simon thought.

"I'll pass."

"Too bad, this was a fun duel. And since it's once again my Standby Phase, I can swap Ultimate Insect LV5 for its highest form, Ultimate Insect LV7 (2600 1000)!" The monster transformed again, this time into a moth. It kept its blue carapace, but now it had a blood red underbelly. Its wings were purple and its hair-covered legs were blue. In addition to its mandibles, it gained a wicked proboscis.

"And my new monster's effect reduces your monsters' stats by 700. Not that you have any," Fast added, "Now, Ultimate Insect, attack!"

His monster beat its wings and flew at Simon, who ducked out of the way at the last second, but still took the lifepoint hit.

S: 200 F: 2300

"And Armed Dragon, one more time, Dragon Talon Terror!"

In the front row of the crowd Crowler grinned mischievously, thinking, _Now that impudent pest will be defeated! And most importantly, humiliated!_

"What was that, Vellian?" asked Chancellor Sheppard, who was sitting to the Obelisk headmaster's right.

"Nothing, nothing at all!" Crowler said innocently, _I really need to stop speaking my thoughts aloud._

"Yes, you do," Banner said from Crowler's left.

The dragon began its attack, swinging its clawed arm at Simon. Then, just before impact:

 _Coo!_

Rainbow Kuriboh materialized in front of the Ra duelist, taking the blow from the Armed Dragon and preserving Simon's lifepoints!

"What!? No!" Crowler cried in outrage, most of the Obelisks joining in.

"It appears the young Ra has survived yet another apparent death blow!" Caesar shouted.

"What gives?" Fast asked.

"It's simple," Simon said, "You triggered Rainbow Kuriboh's second effect."

"Second effect?"

"Whenever Rainbow Kuriboh is in my Graveyard and my opponent launches a direct attack, I can Special Summon it to the field," Simon elaborated.

"Wow that is one awesome card!" Fast commented.

"Thanks," Simon replied. _But if I don't get a monster on this draw, it won't matter how awesome Rainbow Kuriboh is,_ he thought. The Ra student grabbed the top card of his deck, looked at it, and sagged in disappointment (oh, and he cursed quite loudly).

"What's up?" his Obelisk opponent asked.

"I'm holding three Magic cards," Simon said, showing his cards to Fast.

"All Equip cards?"

"All Equip cards."

"My turn?"

"Your turn."

"YES!" Crowler cried gleefully, causing the other gathered teachers to look at him in confusion. He smiled innocently (or at least he thought it looked innocent, but it really was kinda creepy) and contained his joy to his inner monologue.

 _Now that cocky Ra will be beaten and everyone will consider him a liar and a fraud!_

"I knew Simon shouldn't have used a test deck!" John cried, "Idiot!"

"So…he lost?" Amy asked hopefully, already knowing the answer was anything but hopeful.

"It appears so," Bastion said, "But he learned something about the cards in his deck. He clearly miscalculated the monster to magic card ratio."

"But he lost in his first duel in front of the whole school," John pointed out.

On the arena floor, Fast drew a card then paused to consider his hand.

"Hey, aren't you gonna, ya know, attack me and win the duel?" Simon asked.

"Maybe," the bearded Obelisk replied, "Then again, everyone already knows I won, and this has been a really fun match, so… I don't see the harm in giving you one more turn."

"What?" Simon gasped.

"WHAT!?" Crowler exclaimed

"What!?" Caesar cried.

"Why not?" Fast asked, "Prolong the good times, and give you a sort of redemption. I pass. Your move."

"Whatever, man, that's fine with me," Simon said gratefully, drawing another card, "Yes! I summon Armed Samurai-Ben Kei (500 800- 0 100) in attack mode!" A man dressed in yellow samurai gear with an assortment of weapons strapped to his back materialized on the field across from Fast's powerful monsters.

"And I bet he's got an effect that activates when you give him an Equip card," Fast said.

"My Armed Samurai gains an extra attack for every equipment," Simon replied, "So I'll start with Megamorph, which, as I'm sure you know, doubles my monster's original attack (ASBK: 300). Then, I'll play Buster Rancher!" Suddenly, Ben Kei was holding a large red bazooka on his shoulder. "This card can only be equipped to a monster with less than 1000 attack points, like Ben Kei. Now, whenever my monster attacks a monster with 2500 or more attack points, it gains 2500 attack points (ASBK 2800)! So, Armed Samurai-Ben Kei, attack the Ultimate Insect!"

The Armed Samurai aimed its bazooka, then fired a rocket at the bug which exploded on impact.

"And since your Ultimate Insect is gone, my monster's attack increases (ASBK 300→1000). Now, attack the Armed Dragon (ASBK: 3500)!" Once again, the monster aimed and fired, destroying the dragon in a massive explosion.

S: 200 F: 1400

"And with that, I end my turn," Simon concluded.

"But he still had one more attack!" Amy said.

"At this point, I don't think he cares," John replied.

"It seems they are no longer dueling to win," Bastion added.

* * *

Zane looked down on the freshmen duelists, now laughing and thoroughly enjoying themselves despite the crowd's apparent lack of interest. Most of the audience was now making for the exits, teachers included. Crowler, Zane noted, appeared to be in a particularly foul mood.

"So," Syra said, "What do you think of the new guys?"

Zane gave a small smile before saying, "They're both quite skilled."

"That's it?"

"What more is there?"

Syra snorted and said, "Well, first of all, that Obelisk is kinda cute."

"I'm not interested," Zane deadpanned.

"Second, are you worried about your crown?"

Zane glanced down at the duelists again, seeing that the arena was nearly empty now. Both students were having a laugh over something he and Syra must have missed.

"I think my title is safe, sister," Zane replied, "But I know you want me to say something about how much fun they're having."

"It is a game, Zane," she said.

"I know," he said defensively, "And I enjoy playing it. I enjoy winning too."

* * *

Manni opened the door to his dorm room then slammed it shut behind him. The events at the Duel Arena were fresh in his mind.

 _That Fast kid should've crushed that Ra,_ he thought, _His disrespect of the Obelisks can't go unpunished._

Manni moved to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He reached in and grabbed a deck of cards. He quickly went through the deck, checking that every card was there.

 _And if that freshman isn't up to it, then I am._

* * *

 _End credits music: Believer by American Authors_


	4. Fusion

**Wednesday, September 3**

Amy sat alone in the Slifer Red cafeteria, making quick work of a bowl of cereal (Frosted Flakes, if you're one of those readers that needs to know the specific cereal. If you are not one of those readers, this parenthetical was a huge waste of time. You should probably just skip to the end of it. Why are you reading this sentence? You just wasted even more time!). The cafeteria was dotted with students, mostly in red blazers, trying to enjoy their dinner. The food made that mostly impossible.

Amy's own blazer was tied around her waist, revealing her tight neon orange athletic t-shirt, the skirt swapped in favor of shorts with matching neon trim. Amy preferred her neon athletic apparel over the school's more ladylike uniform. After all, she couldn't well run in a skirt.

"Hi."

Amy looked up from shoveling cereal into her mouth and noticed that a girl had sat down across from her. The girl wore a purple baseball cap with a Duel Academy insignia on it, a plain black tee, and tight blue jeans. She hid her eyes behind a pair of overly large sunglasses and her hair under her hat.

"Hey," Amy said, half-friendly, half-questioning.

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

 _Although Duel Monsters is presumed to have been invented in Ancient Egypt, it has been heavily influenced by numerous cultures, both past and present. Obviously, symbols from Egyptian culture, such as sphinxes, pyramids, and the Eye of Anubis, are prevalent on Duel Monsters cards. However, Medieval Europe, the current Digital Age, and especially Japan where the modern version of the game was created_ _  
_  
John frowned at his laptop, unsure how to phrase his sentence. He blew air from his mouth and ran his hands through his hair in annoyance, before grabbing his Duel Pilot. Like any college student struggling with a paper, he distracted himself with his phone: texting, checking social media, and playing games.

 _However, other cultural influences include then yada yada_ , Simon sent. This followed a text that read, _Crap, I should probably start my duel history paper_.

John returned to his paper, working diligently, which is far more than could be said for his Ra counterpart. He reflected on the peace and quiet afforded to him due to Amy's absence. Luckily for him, she was having dinner at the Slifer cafeteria.

It was difficult to share the small room at all, but especially so with Amy. On the first night, the two had vied for space: the lone desk had mostly gone to John, the bottom bunk and the majority of the lone dresser to her, and the bathroom was split (although her cosmetics and toiletries far outnumbered his). Poster space had been fought over and won at great cost. John's Batman and DC comics posters hung side by side with a US women's soccer team poster and a large picture of a mallard duck swimming in a pond. To make things worse, Amy constantly had bouncing-off-the-walls energy and the walls were rather close together.

 _We could have at least gotten a closet_ , he lamented, _The Ra's have more room, no roommates, bigger beds, a closet, a TV, and I can't even imagine what the Obelisks get!_

John heard a knock at the door and left his paper to answer it. He opened the door to discover Amy and another girl on the other side.

"Forgot my key," Amy said.

"And what's Anna doing here?" John asked.

"That's Anna!?" Amy cried in genuine surprise. The other girl removed her sunglasses and hat, letting her hair spill down her back. She blushed and smiled sheepishly at the two Slifers.

"As in the Anna that totally gave you the cold shoulder yesterday Anna?" Amy asked.

"Yes," John said coldly, "That Anna."

"Sorry?" Anna said.

"You should be," John replied, turning back into the room.

"I can explain," she said following him inside. Amy also entered and shut the door. John sat down in the desk chair while Amy took a seat on her bunk.

"Go ahead," John said, nodding towards the bunk. Anna took a seat next to Amy.

"I told you I didn't want the other Obelisks to find out a Slifer was tutoring me," she said.

"You can still acknowledge me," the Slifer pointed out.

"Look in public, we don't know each other," Anna replied, "This tutoring needs to be on the _way_ down-low."

John was silent for a moment then he said, "No."

"No?"

"Right. I don't like this arrangement so here's what we're gonna do," John said, "We're going to duel."

"Duel?" Anna and Amy questioned at the same time.

"If you win, we'll do this your way," he elaborated, "But if I win, you find a new tutor."

"Isn't there middle ground?" Anna asked.

"Yeah. We study in the main library where everyone can see," John said.

Anna's face fell, but she mumbled, "Fine, we'll duel."

* * *

After Anna borrowed Amy's Duel Disk since she had neglected to bring her own (but she remembered her deck), the trio went out to the small beach behind the Slifer Red dorm. The water here was churned by numerous large rocks near the shore, making swimming uncommon in this spot. Fortunately, there was enough room for a duel between the small cliff and the sea. It was here that Anna and John squared off with Amy watching from the top of the cliff.

A: 4000 J: 4000

"I'll start," John said drawing a sixth card, "And I'll start with Elemental Hero Clayman (800 2000) in defense mode." John's monster was a golem made from brown stone with a red head and yellow feet. It knelt in a defensive stance.

"One card face-down and it's your turn," he finished.

Anna drew and quickly made her move, "I summon Gladiator Beast Laquari (1800 400)." Her monster was a bipedal tiger with red battle armor. "Next, I play the Field Spell Colosseum- Cage of the Gladiator Beasts." The field transformed into a ruinous coliseum with strange rock pillars that were unfinished and had small diodes ingrained on their sides.

"I'll explain the Field card later. For now, I'll equip Gladiator Beast's Battle Halberd to Laquari." The tiger was now wielding a pole arm with an axe head near the end.

"Now, Laquari, attack Clayman!" Amy cried.

"What?" John said in disbelief, "But that Equip card didn't boost your monster's attack!"

Laquari attacked with its claws, but the Elemental Hero easily caught the attack and shoved the tiger back to Anna's side of the field.

A: 3800 J: 4000

"Now, it's time for me to activate a few effects," Anna said, "First, when a monster equipped with Battle Halberd attacks, I can destroy a set Spell or Trap at the end of the Damage Step." Anna's beast sliced John's face-down card in half with its weapon, revealing Mirror Gate.

"Next, I activate the effect of Laquari and return it to my deck."

"Return it to your deck?"

"Yes, and thanks to the other effect of Battle Halberd, it goes back to my hand when the monster it is equipped to returns to my deck. Now, when Laquari battles, I can return it to my deck to Special Summon a Gladiator Beast monster from my deck, like Gladiator Beast Secutor (400 300) in defense mode." Anna's tiger was replaced by a man-sized frog wearing blue battle armor and a huge shoulder mounted blaster. Meanwhile, one of the diodes on the Field spell lit up a pale green color

"Remember my Colosseum? Every time a monster is Special Summoned from the deck, it gains a Counter, and for every Counter, my Gladiator Beasts gain an additional 100 attack and defense points (GBS: 400 300→500 400). Now, I'll finish my turn with two cards face-down," she concluded.

John drew and regarded the field uncertainly. _She went through a lot of trouble to get Kermit over there on the field. I probably need to get rid of it ASAP._

"I summon Elemental Hero Heat (1600 1200)," he said, his flaming humanoid monster appearing before him, "And for every Elemental Hero monster I control, he gains 200 attack points, including himself (EHH: 1600→2000). Now, Heat, attack Secutor!"

The flaming Elemental Hero launched a fireball at the watery Gladiator Beast.

"Nice try, but I activate my trap, Defensive Tactics! Now for the rest of the turn, my monsters can't be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I take becomes 0," Anna declared. The fireball was stopped short by a transparent shield that surrounded her monster.

"Now that Secutor has done battle, I can activate his effect," Anna said, "I send Secutor back to the deck to Special Summon two Gladiator Beast monsters from my deck: Gladiator Beast Octavius (2500 1200) and Gladiator Beast Murmillo (800 400)." Octavius was a man-sized eagle with neon green armor. Murmillo was a blue and green scaled fish with red webbing between its fingers and connecting its arms and torso. It also had blue armor and a large shoulder mounted weapon.

"Additionally, since monsters were Special Summoned from the deck, my Field card gets another Counter (GBM: 800 400→1000 600) (GBO: 2500 1200→2700 1400). Next, I chain my face-down Double Tag Team! This card allows me to Special Summon a level 4 or lower Gladiator Beast monster from my deck, so I choose Samnite (1600 1200)." Samnite was a gray saber-toothed cat with navy armor and a glowing blue sword. "Once again, my Field Spell gains a Counter (GBO: 2700 1400→2800 1500) (GBS: 1600 1200→1900 1500) (GBM: 1000 600→1100 700).

"When Murmillo is Special Summoned from my deck by the effect of a Gladiator Beast monster," Anna continued, "It destroys one face-up monster, like Elemental Hero Heat."

Murmillo's shoulder cannon fired a heavy torrent of water that washed away John's Elemental Hero.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"For now."

"Good, because it's still my turn. I place one card face-down and end it."

"Ok, I'm up," the Obelisk girl said as she drew, "And I'm going to begin my turn by fusing Gladiator Beast Samnite with Gladiator Beast Murmillo to Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Essedarii (2500 1400→2800 1700)!" Her two monsters swirled together and became a monstrous gorilla with orange armor and in a matching orange tank. The monster held a spiked club in one hand and an orange shield in the other.

"How did she fuse without Polymerization?" Amy called.

"It's called Contact Fusion," Anna explained, "Instead of using Polymerization, I just need to have the proper Fusion Material Monsters on the field. Then, I return them to my deck instead of sacrificing them. For Essedarii, I just need two Gladiator Beast monsters."

"As if these Gladiator Beast cards weren't giving me enough problems," John bemoaned.

"Well get ready for more problems," Anna said, "I equip my Gladiator Beast's Battle Halberd to Essedarii. I'm sure you remember this card."

"All too well."

"Alright, Essedarii attack Clayman!"

"Not this time!" John cried, "I activate Clay Charge! This trap can only be activated when Elemental Hero Clayman is targeted for an attack. Now both Clayman and the attacking monster are destroyed and you take 800 damage!"

Clayman sprung from his defensive stance and punched Essedarii, who blocked with its shield. Then, the rock Hero exploded, taking Essedarii with it.

A: 3000 J: 4000

"No! My monster!" Anna wailed, "You'll pay for that! Octavius, direct attack!"

The eagle Gladiator Beast took to the skies, then swooped down at John, knocking him to the ground.

A: 3000 J: 1200

"After Octavius does battle, I either must return him to the deck or discard one card, so I'll discard and end my turn there."

 _She still has a seriously strong monster over there_ , John thought as he drew, _But I still have a few tricks._

"I activate the magic card O-Oversoul," he said aloud, "This allows me to Special Summon an Elemental Hero Normal Monster from my Graveyard and Clayman fits the bill." The golem returned to the field in a defensive posture.

"Now I'll show you how I Fusion Summon with the magic of Mask Change!"

"Wait, _you_ aren't using Polymerization?" Anna asked.

"Nope," John replied, "Just watch."

A mask appeared over Clayman's face. The mask began to glow, the light intensifying until it encompassed the Hero. When it faded, a warrior in gleaming armor and a blue cape wielding a sword was in Clayman's place.

"Meet Masked Hero Dian (2800 3000)," John said. "You see, Mask Change allows me to Special Summon a Masked Hero from my Extra Deck with the same Attribute as a Hero monster on the field. Since Clayman is Earth Attribute, I was able to summon Dian. This is called a Transformation Summon."

"That's…unexpected," Anna said, "But now our monsters are evenly matched."

"Not for long," John countered, "I play Mask of Brutality, which reduces my monster's defense by 1000 points, but it also raises my monster's attack by 1000 points (MHD: 2800 3000→3800 2000)!"

A mask with clawed hands instead of eyes and razor sharp teeth appeared over the Masked Hero.

"And now, Dian, attack Octavius with Jeweled Sword Slash!" Dian charged the Gladiator Beast and cleaved it to pixels with a swing of its sword.

A: 2000 J: 1200

"And when Dian destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Hero monster from my deck, so I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat (1300 1000)." A female version of Elemental Hero Heat appeared next to Dian.

"And since it's still my Battle Phase, Lady Heat, attack her directly!" She launched a fireball at Anna, who shielded herself with her Duel Disk.

A: 700 J: 1200

"And I'll end my turn with two cards face-down, triggering the effect of Elemental Hero Lady Heat: During my End Phase, she inflicts 200 damage for every Elemental Hero I control, including herself." She fired a smaller fireball at Anna who took the shot dead on.

A: 500 J: 1200

"Nice moves, John," she said.

"Well, just because I'm a Slifer, it doesn't mean I stink at Duel Monsters," he said.

"You haven't won yet," she said, "Remember, since you Special Summoned a monster from your deck, my Colosseum gained a fourth Counter. I'll start my turn by playing Pot of Greed, so I can draw two cards."

"And I didn't forget about your Field Spell," John interrupted, "I activate my face-down card, Dust Tornado, which allows me to destroy a magic or trap card, like Colosseum-Cage of the Gladiator Beasts!" A tornado formed in the middle of the field. It traveled across the field, destroying stone pillars and causing the Colosseum to come crashing down. The field reverted to its original sandy state.

"Even without my field advantage, my Gladiator Beasts will come through," Anna responded, "I summon Gladiator Beast Hoplomus (700 2100) in defense mode." A rhino with thick gray armor knelt defensively in front of Anna.

"Now, I can Special Summon Test Tiger (600 300)!" A normal sized quadruped tiger in red and blue striped armor appeared. The tiger growled at John's monsters.

"Easy boy," Anna said.

"Aww, who's a pretty kitty!" Amy gushed.

"Test Tiger can be Special Summoned from my hand whenever I control a Gladiator Beast monster. Now, I can tribute Test Tiger in order to return a Gladiator Beast on the field back to my deck and Special Summon a Gladiator Beast monster from my deck and treat it as if it was Special Summoned by the effect of a Gladiator Beast. So, I sacrifice Test Tiger in order to return Hoplomus to the deck and Special Summon Gladiator Beast Spartacus (2200 1600)!"

This monster was a brown skinned dinosaur with brown and yellow armor, including shoulder pads with huge spiked bones. The dino also wielded a wicked yellow halberd.

"I preferred the kitty," Amy said.

"Thanks to Spartacus," Anna said, "I can add a Gladiator Beast Equip Spell from my deck to my hand, like Gladiator Beast's Battle Gladius. Next, I play Monster Reborn to revive Gladiator Beast Octavius." Anna's eagle Gladiator Beast returned to the field next to Spartacus.

"Neither of those monsters can stack up to Dian," John said smugly.

"Wait till I fuse them," Anna countered.

"Another Fusion?"

"Yep, Contact Fusion!" she cried. Again, the monsters swirled together and became an even larger dinosaur with yellow and black armor including wing like projections with the previous bone spikes. This monster wielded a double-bladed halberd, larger than Spartacus'.

"Meet Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz (2600 1500)! And to increase his attack power, I'll equip him with Gladiator Beast's Battle Gladius to gain 300 extra points (2600→2900)"

"Even your Fusion monster can't stack up against my Masked Hero!" John pointed out.

"Then it's a good thing I'm attacking your _Elemental_ Hero," Anna replied, "Gaiodiaz, attack Lady Heat!"

"I activate Mask of Weakness!" John cried, "This Trap reduces your monster's attack by 700 (2900→2200), meaning I'll survive this turn and win next turn."

"That would be true, except when Gaiodiaz destroys a monster, it inflicts damage equal to that of the monster's attack!"

"No!" John cried. Gaiodiaz swung its Halberd, striking Lady Heat and reducing her to pixels. It then swung again, this time at John, knocking him to the ground.

A: 500 J: 0

"You ok?" Anna asked rushing over to John.

"Fine," he answered brushing off her attempts to help him to his feet.

"John!" Amy cried, hurrying down the narrow path leading from the ledge to the beach.

"It's ok Amy," he said, rising to his feet and brushing sand from his blazer, "I'm fine."

"That was a good duel," the skinny Slifer girl said.

"It was fun at least," her classmate replied, "I've never heard of those Gladiator Beast cards before."

"They're newer cards," Anna said, "And you have a pretty unique style yourself. I've never seen the Elemental Hero's used like that."

John was about to ask what the Obelisk meant when she cut in with, "So about that tutoring..."

"What about it? You won so we do it your way."

"Well, I was thinking we could meet up tomorrow in the main library and work on Banner's homework assignment," the Blue said sheepishly.

"Wait a sec," Amy said, "You went through all that, and now you're just gonna do what Johnny said in the first place!?"

"Amy," John said calmly, "First of all, my name is John. Not Johnathon or Johnny. Second of all, I can handle this myself." Not Johnny turned to the curvy Obelisk and exclaimed, "You went through all that, and now you're just gonna do what I said in the first place!?"

"Uh, yeah, that's what I said," Anna replied.

"May I ask what caused this change of heart?"

"Well, I realized during our duel that you were pretty good despite your rank. So, now I know that I shouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with you because you can probably kick some Obelisk ass."

"You're an Obelisk ass," John grumbled.

"What'd you say?" Anna asked in a dangerous tone.

"What?" John said with wide-eyed innocence, "I said nothing."

"Good." Anna replied, eyes narrowed threateningly, even though she was a foot shorter than the guilty Slifer.

"Now that that's settled," Amy interjected, "I'm going to go finish my cereal."

"Weren't you eating dinner?" John asked.

"Yeah. What's your point?"

* * *

 _End credits music: It's My Life by Bon Jovi_


	5. Duck, Duck

"Welcome to La Casa de Azul," Fast said, opening the door to one of the many lounges in the Obelisk Blue Men's Dorm.

"Technically, I was already in the building before you showed me this room," Simon pointed out.

"Technically, I don't care," the Obelisk freshman responded as he led Simon into the room. Duel Monsters posters adorned the wall (which were blue, like in every other part of the dorm Simon had seen) as well as posters of Pro League duelists. Several game consoles were hooked up to a huge flat screen television. Table games, like foosball, air hockey, and Ping-Pong, ringed the lounge. In the center, plush couches and chairs were set up in a semi-circle facing the TV. A table with the image of Obelisk the Tormentor carved into the surface sat in the middle.

Simon saw that several of those seats were occupied. The Obelisk students greeted Fast, but a few spared a glare for the Ra Yellow. A few of the seven or so students wore their Obelisk jackets, but the majority were in street clothes, like Simon.

"Guys, this is Simon," Fast said, by way of introduction, "He's that Ra I dueled yesterday."

"The one you wouldn't beat?" one of the boys, a skinny but muscular guy with his hair raised to a point above his forehead, asked rhetorically.

"I heard you guys played for _hours_ ," a blonde girl with heavy make-up and no curves added.

"I don't know about that, but it was a while," Fast said.

"So did you really get a perfect score on the entrance exam?" a bubbly brunette woman about Simon's height asked.

"The written part," Simon clarified, "They don't really give a score for the practical exam."

"And was that actually your deck you used?" the first boy asked, "I heard you have, like 10."

"Eight, actually," the Ra answered, "And no, that one wasn't my best."

"Hey, Joe," Fast cut in, "You gonna say hello?"

Fast was talking to a man sitting in a recliner, a book held open in his lap. The man was wearing his blue blazer and seemed to be about Fast's height. He turned around to address Fast, revealing that he looked like an older and clean shaven version of the young Blue.

"Simon Brown, right?" he said, "I'm Joseph Fast, Jake's brother. You can call me Joe." Joe proceeded to turn back to his book before Simon could respond.

"Excuse him," Fast said, "He's a bookworm, but he's a cool guy when you can pull his nose out of those pages."

"So, what are _you_ doing here?" a larger boy said with a scowl on his face, "This is the Obelisk dorm, you Ra reject."

Simon smirked and said, "I was invited. And you should be careful about insulting someone who can duel circles around you."

"Wanna go?" he asked dangerously.

Simon reached into his pockets and pulled out three black deck cases.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do."

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

 **Thursday, September 4**

"You beat five Obelisks in one night?" John asked in disbelief.

"With three different decks?" Amy added.

"Yes and yes," Simon replied between bites of waffle.

"What about the Fast brothers?" Bastion asked after a sip of tea. The quartet was sitting at a table in the Ra cafeteria, John and Amy enjoying the guest privileges to get a decent breakfast. After the first meal at Slifer headquarters, John had sworn off the Red dorm's food.

"I already dueled Fast," Simon said, "And Joe wouldn't duel. Said he wanted to research first or something."

"Sounds like a man after your own heart, eh Bastion?" John said.

"Wait, which Fast is Fast?" Amy asked around a mouthful of, oddly, a cheeseburger. The kitchen staff had been perplexed at Amy's request, but made her a burger for breakfast anyway. John griped about eating breakfast food for dinner and dinner food for breakfast, but Simon laughed it off and found it amusing.

"Jacob," Simon clarified.

"And why is he Fast and not one of the others?"

"Because people started calling him Fast," Simon replied.

"Why?"

"I dunno."

"Back to more important matters," Bastion interrupted, "It's too bad you didn't get a duel with Joe. People speak of him in the same breath as Zane."

"As in Duel King Zane?" John asked after a gulp of orange juice.

"Precisely."

"Then I can't wait to take him down," Simon said.

"Maybe you should settle for the little brother before the big fish," John suggested.

"Was that a short joke?" Simon asked darkly.

"Probably," John replied, "Speaking of which, did you write your History paper?"

"Wait a sec," Amy said, "How is that 'speaking of which'?"

"It isn't," Simon answered, "Beal just uses 'speaking of which' to make nonsensical transitions."

"Don't change the subject," John warned.

"Fine, I didn't write my paper," Simon said with a frown, "Happy now?"

"No," John said with a pointed look at Amy, "Because somebody distracted me the entire time I was writing."

"What?" Amy cried defensively.

"You kept going 'ohhh, that's so cute' and 'awww, I want one' while I was writing my paper! I couldn't concentrate!" John exclaimed.

"I couldn't help it," Amy said, "I was looking at pictures of baby ducks."

"Simon," Bastion cut in, "You do realize that paper is due tomorrow."

"Yes, Bas, I know," Simon said, "I'll write it tonight."

"Well, I'm going to the library with Anna because I already wrote my paper," John said with an air of superiority.

"Awww," Simon gushed in a baby voice, "Someone has a crush."

"My fist is going to have a crush on your face if you don't shut up."

"Shutting up," Simon replied, taking a large bite of his waffle.

"You need to teach me how to do that," Bastion said.

"Years of practice, Bastion" John replied, "Years of practice."

* * *

"Thanks for coming with me to get my Duel Alchemy book," John said

"Thanks for stealing my Duel Pilot and threatening to throw it in the sea if I didn't come with you," Simon grumbled.

"What are friends for?" John said brightly.

"What are they for, indeed," Simon mumbled.

"I'm detecting a note of bitterness."

"No, not at all," Simon replied with as much sarcasm as he could muster. The friends were walking down the path leading to the Slifer dorm from the Main Campus, both having completed classes for the day. John was smiling genially while Simon frowned with his arms crossed over his yellow blazer.

"Good," John said, "I would hate for you to feel forced into this."

"You did force me into this, you asshole!" Simon exploded.

"Umm, excuse me. We're trying to duel here."

The bickering duo had arrived outside the Slifer Red dorm and were met by the scene of two students in red blazers squaring off for a duel. The first was a stocky man with thin black hair hanging over his forehead. His tanned skin suggested a Hispanic heritage. The second was Amy who had just chastised the newly arrived spectators.

"What's going on?" John asked.

"Guys, help me!" the man said, a frantic look in his green eyes, "She's crazy!"

"Quiet you!" Amy snapped, "John, Simon, meet Lorenzo. Lorenzo, this is John, my roommate, and his friend Simon."

"Not to be redundant or anything," Simon began, "But what's going on?"

Lorenzo opened his mouth to say something, but a look from Amy closed it quickly.

"This assclown destroyed a duck nest!" Amy raged.

"I accidently stepped on it! I didn't even see it!" Lorenzo cried defensively.

"If you were more careful, there would be fewer homeless ducks!" Amy shouted, "Now, I'm going to kick your ass, and John and Simon are going to cheer me on!"

"We are?" John said.

"Of course we are, Beal," Simon said, "We have to support our crazy friend."

"You just don't want to write your Duel History paper."

"You know me so well."

"So let's duel!" Amy declared.

A: 4000 L: 4000

"Ok, since you challenged me, I'll go first," Lorenzo said, "And I'll summon Shining Angel in attack mode (1400 800)." A man wearing white robes with golden feathered wings and a halo appeared.

"Fine, now it's time to avenge the ducks!" Amy declared, drawing a card, "I summon Ape Fighter (1900 1200) in attack mode!" Amy's monster, a red gorilla wearing ripped jeans, growled and beat its chest as it emerged on the field.

"Destroy his Shining Angel!" The gorilla grabbed the angel and spiked him into the ground. The winged angel bounced then pixelated in midair.

L: 3500 A: 4000

"When Shining Angel is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Light attribute monster from my deck with less than 1500 attack points in attack position. So, I summon Nova Summoner (1400 800)."

"Is that a wreath with a face?" Simon asked John when Lorenzo's newest monster was summoned.

"No," John scoffed, "It's a _winged_ wreath with a face."

"My bad."

"It was."

Nova Summoner was a floating orange feathered band encircled with green ribbon. The ribbon formed a face at the top of the band, a pair of white wings flared to either side, and a green orb hovered in the center of the band.

"When Ape Fighter destroys a monster by battle, it gains 300 attack points (AF: 1900→2200)," Amy said as the monster bellowed, "And I end my turn."

Lorenzo drew to begin his turn then said, "I activate my Field Spell, Sanctuary in the Sky." From Simon and John's perspective, it appeared that a huge floating stone structure appeared in front of the Slifer Red dorm. Steps led to a columned atrium behind which a huge statue resembling an angel rose above the building. To the right of the main structure, there was a circular arena where Amy and Lorenzo continued to duel.

"As long as we are in my Sanctuary, any battle damage done to the controller of a Fairy-type monster is reduced to 0," Lorenzo explained.

"I'll just have to trample over your Fairies to get to you," Amy decided, "Just like you trampled on that nest!"

"Will you get over it?" Lorenzo implored, "I switch my Nova Summoner to defense mode and end my turn with one card face-down."

"My move!" Amy cried, "And I summon Assault Dog (1200 800) in attack mode!" A hound with mechanical green armor wielding a pair of Gatling guns strapped to its sides appeared on Amy's field. Its eyes glowed a threatening red as it growled with menace.

"Now go my beast, attack his Nova Summoner!" The dog fired bursts of bullets at the Fairy, shattering the monster.

"Normally," Lorenzo said, "Nova Summoner allows me to Special Summon a Fairy-type monster with 1500 or less attack from my deck. However, because Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I can Special Summon a more powerful monster: Airknight Parshath (1900 1400)!"

A monster with armor of blue and gold wielding a sword and shield appeared on the field. It had a glowing halo and was enveloped by white feathered wings.

"Too bad your Airknight is weaker than my Ape Fighter," Amy said, "Attack!"

"Wait, Amy!" Simon cried.

"Too late!" Lorenzo stated, "I activate my Trap, Lumenize! I can only activate this card when my opponent declares an attack. When I do, the attack is negated, and one Light monster I control gains attack points equal to the attack of the monster whose attack was negated. So, my Airknight Parshath gains 2200 attack points (AKP: 1900→4100)."

Parshath was infused with a bright light, causing him to look like a mere silhouette.

"Fine," Amy growled, "I set one card and end my turn. And since Ape Fighter's attack was negated, his attack points return to their original value (AF: 2200→1900).

"My turn then," Lorenzo said, "I draw-"

"And I activate my face-down card, Ojama Trio!"

Suddenly, three small monsters appeared on Lorenzo's side of the field. The first was black and chubby, with a big nose and two rows of sharp teeth. The middle one was green and had just one eye. It was muscular and a long tongue lolled out of its mouth. The third one was yellow and skinny with two eyestalks protruding from its head. All three wore nothing but boxers.

"What are those?" Lorenzo asked with a faint trace of disgust.

"Those have got to be the ugliest monsters I have ever seen," John muttered to Simon.

"Those are the Ojama trio!" Amy said, "Or at least, the Ojama Tokens. You see, Ojama Trio summons three Ojama Tokens (Beast/Light/Level 2/0/1000) to your side of the field in defense mode. They can't be tributed and each time a token is destroyed, you lose 300 lifepoints."

"So I can't get rid of these gross things?" Lorenzo asked.

"How dare you!" Amy said indignantly, "The Ojamas are the cutest monsters in Duel Monsters! Well, except for the duck monsters of course."

Lorenzo, John, and Simon collapsed to the ground.

"Moving on," Lorenzo said getting back to his feet, "It's still my turn, so I'll equip the Cestus of Dagla to my Airknight (AKP: 4100→4600)."

Parshath now wielded twin blades that curved around its hands, connecting to both ends of the handle.

"Not only does my equip card boost my monsters attack by 500, but any battle damage my Airknight inflicts will be added to my lifepoints. Next, I summon Zeradias, Herald of Heaven (2100 800)." A monster with green wings, a green helmet, and a long-bladed spear appeared.

"2100 points for a level 4 monster?" Amy questioned.

"Well, it gets destroyed if Sanctuary in the Sky isn't active," Lorenzo explained sheepishly, "But since it is active, Zeradias, attack her Assault Dog!"

The Fairy monster stabbed Amy's mechanically enhanced canine, shattering it.

A: 3100 L: 3500

"Since Assault Dog was destroyed by battle, I can summon up to two more from my deck, so I will do so in defense mode."

"Fine, now, Parshath, attack Ape Fighter with Lumenized Blast!"

A beam of light shot from the silhouetted monster, annihilating Amy's Ape Fighter.

A: 400 L: 6300

"With that, I end my turn," Lorenzo said satisfactorily.

"Wow," John said.

"Yeah," Simon agreed, "He got himself a 5900 point advantage with one turn. Amy sure has her work cut out for her."

For her part, Amy seemed up to the task. Or rather, she looked pissed enough to cause a nuclear explosion, so a comeback didn't seem out of the question.

"My turn!" she snarled, ripping a card from her deck, "And I'll summon Baby Raccoon Ponpoko (800 0)!" A small cartoonish raccoon with light orange fur and small brown ears appeared. The creature had a white-furred face and belly and carried a single bongo. It smiled at Lorenzo and growled cutely, once again causing all the guys to face-fault.

"How can a girl that angry play a monster so cute?" John asked.

"Women are mysterious creatures," Simon replied cryptically.

"He may be cute, but still not as cute as those Ojamas," Amy cooed. Face-fault number three.

"Last I checked, cuteness doesn't give your monster extra attack points," Lorenzo said.

"My monster doesn't need attack points; he has an effect!" Amy said, slipping back into her angered persona, "Whenever Ponpoko is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 2 Beast-type monster from my deck in face-down defense position." A set card appeared next to Ponpoko.

"Is that all?" Lorenzo asked, "A couple of level 2 monsters?"

"NO!" Amy cried, "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Lorenzo may have a point," John said, "Amy isn't going to pull off a 6000 point comeback with defense."

"True," Simon agreed, "But it is an impressive defense. She has four monsters out and a couple of traps."

"But Airknight Parshath has a piercing ability."

"Good point."

"Parshath," Lorenzo cried, "Attack her Baby Raccoon Ponpoko and end this duel!"

"Not so fast, duck-nest-crusher!" Amy said.

"She really needs to get better at trash talk," John groaned.

"I activate my face-down Beast Soul Swap," she continued, "This card allows me to return one Beast-type monster from my field to my hand and then Special Summon a Beast-type monster with the same level. So, I swap my Baby Raccoon Ponpoko for Sea Koala (100 1600) in defense mode." A cowering Ponpoko was replaced by a small koala bear which was floating on its back with its eyes closed…in a baby pool.

"Whatever," Lorenzo said dismissively, "I'll have Parshath destroy that monster and win the duel anyway."

"You would if Sea Koala didn't have an effect!" Amy shot back, "If I control another Beast-type monster, like my Assault Dogs, then I can reduce the attack of one of your monsters to 0 for the rest of the turn, and I choose your Airknight (2400→0)."

"Fine, Zeradias, attack that annoying Koala!" Lorenzo commanded. Zeradias poked the inflatable pool with the tip of its spear, puncturing it and causing the water to spill everywhere. The Sea Koala faded with the pool.

"And to end my turn, I place two cards face-down."

"My move," Amy said, snatching a card from her deck, "I play Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards." Amy did so, then grinned maniacally at her new cards.

"You're in for it now, you villain of duck kind!"

Simon and John just looked at each other with matching flat stares.

"Her insults are terrible," Simon monotoned.

"Worse than your procrastination," John replied.

"My procrastination is amazing," Simon said indignantly

"Which is a _bad_ thing."

"I activate the trap card Roaring Earth!" she announced, "As long as this Continuous Trap is in play, my Beasts inflict piercing Battle Damage, and every time they do, I choose one monster on your side of the field to lose 500 attack and defense points. Next, I flip summon my Baby Raccoon Tantan (0 800)." This monster had the same fur pattern as Ponpoko and had upgraded from a bongo to a large bass drum with drumsticks.

"And when Tantan is flipped, I can Special Summon any level 2 Beast-type monster from my deck, so here comes Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest (200 1400) in defense mode!"

Kalantosa was a small rabbit with green patches of fur and a patch of a green leafy plant growing on its back.

"And when Kalantosa is Special Summoned by the effect of a Beast-type monster, I can destroy one card on the field, so I choose your Airknight!"

The rabbit shook its body, loosening particles of glittery green powder. The powder floated towards Lorenzo's monster, encompassing it. The powder faded and with it Airknight Parshath.

"And there's more," Amy continued, "I summon Moja (100 100)!" A small black furred blob appeared. It had a yellow-skinned face with scared black eyes and two small curled horns.

"Another low-level monster with bad stats," John pointed out.

"Which means it better have one hell of an effect," Simon replied.

"Now I activate the effect of a card in my hand," Amy said, "By tributing Moja, I can Special Summon one of my most powerful monsters: King of the Beasts (2500 800)!" Suddenly, Moja began to transform. It became much larger, towering over the field. Its black fur became longer and wild, the horns turning down. Its eyes changed from scared to angry, gaining a red tint. Finally, four skeletal yellow legs emerged from underneath its fur. The new monster roared as Amy's Beasts bowed in deference to their King. Lorenzo, however, seemed unfazed.

"You may have the strongest monster on the field," he said, "but thanks to my Field Spell, as long as you attack my Fairies, you can't do any damage."

"True, but you have three Beast-type monsters on your side of the field," Amy countered.

"The Ojama Tokens!" Simon cried.

"Go my King, attack the black Ojama Token! Royal Savage Attack!" Any cried. The King of Beasts roared and squashed the cowering black Ojama with one giant stomp.

"And since my Roaring Earth trap is active, you lose lifepoints equal to the difference between your monster's defense and my monster's attack!"

A: 400 L: 4800

"Then, I choose one monster on your side of the field to lose 500 attack points, so I pick Zeradias (2100→1600)! And finally, you lose 300 lifepoints because an Ojama Token was sent to the graveyard!"

A: 400 L: 4500

"Now, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn," Amy finished with a satisfied grin.

"That was a great move," Simon commented, "She completely flipped field advantage. Her King of the Beasts is easily the strongest monster on the field, she has a way around Lorenzo's Sanctuary in the Sky, and she swarmed the field with her Baby Raccoon monsters and her Assault Dogs."

"Yeah, but Lorenzo is winning by over 4000 lifepoints," John pointed out.

"Touché."

"And it's his turn," he added.

"I already said 'touché'," Simon replied testily.

"And he can end the duel with one attack."

"Shut up, Beal."

Lorenzo drew a card, giving him a total of three.

"I activate the Quick-Play magic card, Celestial Transformation which allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Fairy-Type monster from my hand, but it can't attack and its attack is halved," he announced, "So I summon Meltiel, Sage of the Sky (1600 1200→800 1200)!"

This Fairy had a flowing white cape lined with feathers and a huge halo that went around it at the waist. A golden ribbon flowed along its arms before wrapping around the halo so lines of angelic light shined through.

"What are you gonna do with a weakened monster?" Amy scoffed.

"Sacrifice it," Simon muttered to John.

"I'm going to sacrifice Meltiel, as well as Zeradias, to summon my most powerful Fairy, Wingweaver (2750 2400)!" Lorenzo cried.

"Called it!"

A female angel with elfin ears and purple hair appeared on Lorenzo's side of the field. She wore a yellow dress that left her pale arms bare and several pieces of jewelry: a small ruby pendant on her forehead, a golden belt with a sapphire inset, and an emerald necklace. The angel had three pairs of pale blue feathered wings that spread out behind her, radiating with light. The Fairy smiled warmly at Amy.

"She isn't so scary," Amy said, "And I'll survive any attack from her this turn!"

"Not after this," Lorenzo countered, "I activate my face-down Graceful Dice."

A small, cartoony fairy with wings in its top hat appeared holding a large blue die.

"Whenever this card is activated, I roll a die and all monsters on my side of the field gain attack and defense points equal to the roll times 100 for the rest of the turn," he explained, "So go, dice roll!"

The fairy tossed the die onto the field. It bounced and rolled until it finally came to rest on a one.

(WW: 2750 2400→2850 2500)

"I'll still survive," Amy said.

"Wait, I still have one more face-down card, my trap, Skull Dice!"

A small blue skinned creature with wings coming out of its black witch hat holding a large red die appeared.

"This card works a lot like Graceful Dice. I roll a die, and your monsters lose attack and defense points equal to the roll times 100 until the end of the turn. So, go, dice roll!"

The creature cackled and tossed the die. When it stopped, it showed three pips.

(KotB: 2500 800→2200 500) (AD: 1200 800→900 500)X2 (BRT: 0 800→0 500)

(KMBotF: 200 1400→0 1100)

"Now, Wingweaver, end this duel, attack King of the Beasts with Light of the Seraphim!" Lorenzo cried.

Wingweaver formed a ball of light near her midsection, then fired it as a beam of light aimed at Amy's King, but before the attack could land…

"I activate my trap, Super Rush Recklessly!" Amy called, "Here's how it works: I target one Beast-type monster I control and one monster you control. Then, my monster is destroyed and yours is shuffled into your deck, and the monsters I choose are Baby Raccoon Tantan and Wingweaver!"

Tantan rocketed towards Wingweaver, firing itself right through the Fairy's attack. It collided with the monster, shattering it into pixels and popping Lorenzo's card off his Duel Disk.

"And since your hand is empty, I'm guessing your turn is over," Amy said smugly. Lorenzo gave her a bitter look, but nodded begrudgingly.

"Alright, time for me to win this duel for duck kind!" the young blonde declared, "I sacrifice both of my Assault Dogs to summon Behemoth the King of all Animals (2700 1500)!"

A huge purple animal appeared. It stood on four muscled legs with wild darker purple fur on its back. It had ivory claws and ram horns and two rows of razor sharp fangs. It snarled as it swished its muscular tail back and forth.

"Another king?" Lorenzo questioned.

"Yes, and this one has a special ability," the Beast user shot back, "When it's successfully Tribute Summoned, I can return Beast-type monsters to my hand from the Graveyard. Since I used two tributes, I return an Assault Dog and Ape Fighter to my hand, not that it matters since I'm about to end this duel."

"How? Thanks to your Ojamas, I'll survive this attack even with that Roaring Earth card."

"Not once I play this: Wild Nature's Release!" Amy countered, "To use this magic card, I select one Beast or Beast Warrior type monster and increase its attack points by its defense points!"

"What!?" the male Slifer exclaimed.

"Of course, the monster is destroyed at the end of the turn," the blonde added, "But this is the last turn. So, I choose Behemoth!" (BtKoaA: 2700→4200)

"Now, Behemoth, attack the Ojama Token on the right with Royal Stampede!" The purple Beast snarled and charged at the green Ojama Token.

"This isn't what I signed up for!" it yelled shortly before it was trampled by Amy's much stronger monster.

A: 400 L: 1000

"Now, King of the Beasts, end this duel and avenge your mallard subjects with Royal Savage Attack!"

The King roared and raised a skeletal foot over the whimpering yellow Ojama. "Why does it have to end like this!?" it cried. It's sniveling was quickly stomped out by the King of the Beasts.

A: 400 L: 0

"That'll teach you to mess with ducks," Amy said smugly as the holograms faded away.

"Yeah, whatever," Lorenzo said dejectedly. He turned around and headed back to the Slifer dorm with his head held low.

"What's his deal?" Amy asked.

"He lost," John said, "No one likes losing."

"Especially to someone defending the cause of ducks," Simon muttered.

"What was that?" Amy snarled.

"Nothing!" Simon cried, "I, uh, I gotta go write a paper! Bye!" The Ra student took off for his dorm and away from the enraged Amy.

"Oh, now you have to write your paper!" John shouted after him sarcastically.

"And do you have anything to say about ducks, hmm?" Amy asked John darkly.

"I, uh, I," John stammered, "I gotta meet Anna in the library!" John zoomed up the path toward the Academy.

"That's what I thought," Amy muttered. She bent down to examine the pile of twigs that had been a duck nest.

"Hmmm…this is a robin's nest, not a duck nest."

* * *

 _End credits theme: American Girl, by Tom Petty_


	6. Goose

_The history of Duel Monsters is divided into two distinct eras: The Ancient Era and the Modern Era. This, of course, is due to a large period of time when Duel Monsters was forgotten. The Ancient Era refers to a time approximately 5000 years ago when the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt supposedly used magical artifacts, known as Millennium Items, to control spirits known as_ ka. _After the end of the Pharaohs' reign, the game was forgotten until Maximilian Pegasus led a team of archaeologists to a site where tablets depicting_ ka _were found. Pegasus, inspired by the tablets and Egyptian history, then created the card game now known as Duel Monsters, beginning the Modern Era._

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?" Simon called as he spun his chair around from facing his laptop to his door.

"It's John," said a muffled voice from the other side of the door.

"Come in, it's open," Simon replied. John opened the door and shut it quickly behind him, then threw himself on the Ra's bed with an aggravated sigh. Simon continued to type away on his laptop.

 _Little is known about Duel Monsters prior to the Modern Era, other than what has been written above. Therefore, this paper will focus mostly on the current iteration of the now-popular card game._

John, still lying on the bed, let out an exaggerated sigh. Simon was unfazed.

 _Rather than discuss the events that have led to the current state of Duel Monsters, this paper will focus on the duelists that have defined and impacted the game. Champions such as Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba, fan favorites like Joey Wheeler and Jerry Fast, and innovators like Pegasus._

"Simon!" John snapped.

 _Furthermore, it will conclude with a look at the current direction of Duel Monsters and a discussion about the future of the game._

John grabbed his friend by the shoulders and shook him as he cried, "Simon, I need to talk to you!" The Ra turned and glared at the grinning Slifer as his head was thrown back and forth.

"What, John?" he finally asked.

"Finally," John said, "Goodness, you never pay attention to me."

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop shaking me."

"But it's fun!"

"Beal!"

"Fine," the taller man relented, letting go of Simon's shoulders and sitting on the bed.

"Why are you here?" the perturbed Yellow asked.

"Can I stay here tonight?" John asked.

"No."

"No!?"

"Yes."

"Wait, yes?"

"No!"

"Please?"

"Why?" Simon finally asked, the annoyance with his friend evident in his voice.

"Well you see..."

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

I was in my room, working on my Deck Building 115 assignment after I had gotten back from studying with Anna. It was going just fine until Amy got back from dinner.

"Those were some of the worst scrambled eggs I've ever had," she complained as she entered our room, "Slifer food sucks."

"That's why I don't eat it," I said, looking up from my cards, which were neatly laid out on the desk. Amy was carrying a shoebox for some odd reason, so I asked her about it.

"Look inside," she told me. I opened the lid and peered inside. There was a duck chick sitting in the middle of a pile of grass and twigs!

"What are you doing with a baby duck, Amy?" I asked, which seemed like a logical question at that point.

"This is Sir Quacks A Lot, and he's our new roommate," she explained, "Sir Quacks A Lot, this is John."

"Amy, we aren't keeping a duck in our room," I told her rather calmly considering the situation.

"Yes, we are," she replied testily.

"Where would we keep him?" I asked, "We barely have enough room for the two of us."

"Right here," she said, brushing my cards off the desk, "We can put his nest on the desk."

"Amy!" I cried, barely keeping my cool, "I was working there!"

"Now, we'll need to bring him food and water three times a day," she continued as I started picking up my cards from the floor, "John, are you even listening to me?"

"We are _not_ keeping a duck in this room!" I said sternly.

"Yes, we are!"

"No, Amy, as long as I live here we are not!"

"Fine! Then I challenge you to a duel. If I win, Quacks stays."

"I'm not staying in the same room as a duck," I declared.

"Fine, then if I win you leave. But if you win, I leave, and I take the duck with me."

* * *

"John," Simon said, "Please tell me you didn't take that deal."

John just sat there, studiously avoiding eye contact.

"Tell me you didn't take that deal."

Nothing.

"Tell me you went to Banner and got him to resolve that dispute in your favor."

Nothing.

"You're an idiot."

* * *

We went to the rocky beach behind the dorm where Anna and I dueled. The water was black except where it reflected the moonlight. Amy and I took our positions and squared off, Duel Disks at the ready.

A: 4000 J: 4000

"Ladies first," Amy decided, drawing her opening hand and adding a sixth card, "And I'll begin with a card called Spiritual Forest." Amy placed the card in her Duel Disk and trees sprung up around her, trees with bio-luminescent trunks and no branches. Mushroom shaped protrusions began further up forming a canopy and sprinkling glowing spores over the field.

"As long as this Continuous Magic card is in play, the first time a Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Plant type monster I control would be destroyed by battle, it isn't," she explained, "Now, I summon Sonic Duck (1700 700)!" Her monster was a green feathered duck with a yellow bill and a red scarf. Oh yeah, and a bucket on its head!?

* * *

"Did you need to exclaim the bucket part?" Simon asked.

"It bothered me," John answered defensively.

"You know what bothers me?" Simon asked.

"Me?"

"Sometimes," Simon admitted, "But I was going to say, what is a duckling doing on a tropical island?"

"I was really hoping it was me," John said disappointedly.

"Just get on with your story."

* * *

"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Hippo Carnival," Amy said, "This card Special Summons three Hippo Tokens (Beast/Earth/0/0) to my side of the field."

A trio of small, cartoony hippos appeared. One was orange with a yellow and green headdress, another was blue with a purple and yellow headdress, and the last was yellow with a red headdress. All three wore lipstick in varying shades of red, bikinis, and various jewelry.

"There's more to the card, but it really isn't important since I'm about to activate the effect of a card in my hand. By removing from my field tokens whose total level is 3 or more, I can Special Summon Duck Fighter (1300 1400)!"

The hippos disappeared in a puff of smoke and a duck shaped fighter jet appeared hovering over the field.

"Oh great, now you have duck monsters," I said sarcastically, "I'll stick with my Heroes, like Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500 1600)! And then, I play-"

* * *

"Aren't you going to describe your cards to me?" Simon interrupted.

"Why would I do that?" John asked, "You've seen all my cards."

"For the benefit of the readers," Simon replied.

John looked at him like he had said something incredibly stupid and exclaimed, "What readers!?"

"The ones reading the story of our adventures at Duel Academy," Simon explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, how could I forget about those," John replied sarcastically.

* * *

Anyway, Wildheart is a muscular, dark-skinned shirtless man with a huge broadsword strapped to his back. He has long dark hair tied back in a ponytail. Tattoos curled around his face and ran across his chest and shoulders.

"And next," I called, "I play Cyclone Boomerang!" A gray bone boomerang materialized in Wildheart's hand. "This Equip card increases Wildheart's attack by 500 points (EHW: 1500→2000) making him the strongest monster on the field."

"Fine go ahead and attack," Amy challenged, "But my Spiritual Forest will save my monsters."

"Really, Amy?" John replied, "Last I checked, Duck Fighter is a Machine-type monster."

Amy screwed up her face and muttered, "Oh, yeah…I forgot about that."

* * *

"So that's why she's in Slifer!" Simon cried, "Uh, no offense," he added at John's glare.

* * *

"Wildheart, attack Duck Fighter with Wild Boomerang!" Wildheart whipped the boomerang across the field, causing a wind storm that kicked up a cloud of sand. The boomerang impacted Amy's Duck Fighter, creating an explosion. It disappeared in the smoke cloud, then reappeared and returned to Wildheart.

A: 3300 J: 4000

"You're up," I said.

"Good," Amy said as she ripped a card from her deck. She held the card aloft and stated, "I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw 3 cards and then discard 2." She drew her fresh cards and discarded after a short deliberation. "Next, I summon Fencing Fire Ferret (1700 600) in attack mode!"

This newest monster was small and had pink fur. It also had a long tail that ended in a series of red segmented blades. Its coat had red fire patterns on its face, feet, and back. Actual fire surrounded the flesh part of its tail. The ferret hissed at Wildheart.

"And to give it the kick it needs to face Wildheart, I equip it with Beast Fangs which increases the attack and defense of a Beast-type monster by 300 points (FFF: 1700→2000)."

"That just ties us though," I pointed out.

"Fire Ferret, attack Wildheart!" she cried anyway. The small Beast lashed out with its bladed tail as Wildheart threw its boomerang. The tail slashed my Hero to pixels, but the boomerang just bounced off her Ferret!

* * *

"Squal!" Simon exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" John asked.

"Sir Quacks a Lot," Simon replied, "You could call him SQuaL for short."

"That's ridiculous."

"May I remind you we're talking about keeping a duck in a dorm room?"

"Fair point."

* * *

"Did you forget about Spiritual Forest?" Amy asked mockingly as I looked at the field with a dumbfounded expression, "It prevents my Beast-type Fencing Fire Ferret from being destroyed in that battle. Now, Sonic Duck, attack him directly!" Her bucket-helmeted mallard charged me and pecked at my shins. I jumped away, wincing in pain.

A: 3300 J: 2300

"I am _so_ sick of ducks," I complained as I began my turn, "I activate A Hero Lives, which allows me to Special Summon a level 4 or lower Elemental Hero monster from my deck when I don't control any face-up monsters at the cost of half my lifepoints."

"That's quite a cost for a low level monster," Amy said.

"You of all people should know how valuable a low level monster can be," I shot back, "Especially this one, Elemental Hero Shadow Mist (1000 1500)!"

A female Hero wearing metallic black armor and a blue jumpsuit materialized on the field. She had a blue-skinned face, and long blue hair stuck out the back of her helmet.

A: 3300 J: 1150

"What she lacks in attack points, she makes up for in effects!" I said, "Since Shadow Mist was Special Summoned, I can add a Quick-Play 'Change' Spell from my deck to my hand. And you know what that means."

"Mask Change," Amy groaned.

"Next, I activate Dian Keto the Cure Master, which gives me 1000 lifepoints, making up for what I lost earlier," I continued.

A: 3300 J: 2150

"Now, I use my Mask Change to Transformation Summon Masked Hero Dark Law (2400 1800)!"

* * *

"So I Googled it, and some duck species have established themselves on tropical islands, but they're mostly endangered," Simon informed John.

"Thanks, I really was curious," John replied.

"Your sarcasm can be hurtful."

"Good."

* * *

A mask appeared over Shadow Mist followed by a bright light. When the light died down, Shadow Mist had gained silver bladed armor on her thighs and wrists, a visor on her helmet, a chest plate that resembled her head, a silver belt, and a winged jet-pack. Her armor now had yellow accents and her hair was either gone or tucked into her helmet.

"Since Shadow Mist was sent to the Graveyard," I said, "I can add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand, so I choose Bubbleman. Now, as for Dark Law, he's going to attack your Sonic Duck, since your Ferret is protected by your Magic card."

Dark Law was rocketed across the field by its jet-pack, raking sharp claws across the green bird. It squawked as it was destroyed.

"Your duck is no more," I declared.

A: 2600 J: 2150

"Now, to wrap up this turn, I'll set one card face-down and summon Melchid the Four Face Beast (1500 1200) in defense mode," I finished as a monster appeared on my field. It was essentially four floating masks in a circle. The masks looked fiendish and were alternating red and yellow.

* * *

"Seriously?" Simon asked, "Melchid?"

"What?" John replied defensively.

"Why is that card still in your deck?"

"It fits with the whole mask motif!"

"It's a worthless card!"

"It fits! Now on with the story!"

* * *

"Don't worry my precious duck, I'll avenge you!" Amy cried, "First, I activate Card of Sanctity which allows us both to draw until we have six cards in our hands." We both replenished our hands, allowing me to draw four cards while Amy drew five.

"That activates the effect of Masked Hero Dark Law!" I informed Amy, "Whenever you draw outside your Draw Phase or Damage Step, Dark Law banishes a random card from your hand." Suddenly, a dark energy encompassed one of Amy's cards, revealing Moja. The card gradually faded out of play.

"And without Moja, it looks like you won't be able to play King of the Beasts."

"Whatever," Amy said crossly, "I place a card face-down, and then I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the card I just set."

"Wait, what!?" I uttered in shock as her face-down card was sent to the Graveyard, "Why would you do that?"

"Because the card I just destroyed was Ojamagic," Amy replied, "And when Ojamagic is sent to the Graveyard from my field or hand, I can add Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black to my hand."

"And how are those ugly little things gonna help?"

"First of all, they are _adorable_ ," Amy defended, "Second of all, I'm using Polymerization to fuse them into the Ojama King (0 3000)!"

The three Ojamas appeared in their boxers on the field, then immediately were sucked into a vortex. The vortex vanished and a new Ojama emerged, one that towered over the field. Ojama King had no torso; its head was white and bulbous and connected to its legs. Small stubby arms popped out where ears should have been. Its mouth stretched across its entire face and eyestalks popped out of its head. The king wore a crown and bikini briefs on top of its head and at the waist.

"Oh, yeah!" it said in a deep booming voice, taking a kneeling defensive stance.

"And I thought the little ones were ugly," I muttered.

"Are you insulting my cute little Ojamas!?" Amy growled.

"Yeah," I fired back, "And what are you gonna do about it?"

"Well first," Amy snapped, "I'm using Ojama King's effect to block up to three of your monster zones. Since there are only two available, I'll block those.

Ojama King pulled a giant X-shaped stamp from its underwear and stamped both of my empty monster slots. The stamp left a giant red X on the ground.

"Is that all?" I mocked.

Amy's snarl left her face and she calmly answered, "I'll switch Duck Fighter to defense mode and summon Ojama Blue in defense mode (0 1000)."

The newest Ojama was blue skinned with a tall cylindrical head, narrow oval eyes, pink lips, and red bikini briefs.

"So, yes," I said in answer to my own question, "But since you let me draw all new cards, I am going to do something. And I'll start with the Ritual Spell card, Curse of the Masked Beast!"

A chalice of blue flame appeared on my side of the field. The chalice wore a purple skull mask with blue eyes narrowed to slits and two horns emanating from the forehead. It stood on two small legs at the base of the mask, both tipped with two long talons. Two taller chalices with smaller red masks that had 'M' shaped stands appeared behind it; Masked Hero Dark Law stood directly in front of one.

"By activating this ritual and sacrificing monsters whose total level is 8 or higher from my field or hand, I can summon the Masked Beast!" I cried, "So I sacrifice Elemental Hero Burstinatrix"- and here Burstinatrix, with her silver hair and red spandex bodysuit, appeared in front of the second tall chalice "-and Masked Hero Dark Law to summon the _Masked Beast_ (3200 1900)!"

The blue flames leapt from the chalices to engulf my Heroes; the flaming monsters were then absorbed into the first chalice. For a moment, the flame ceased burning above the cup, but suddenly a great blue flame burst forth from the goblet and formed into the shape of a huge monster. The flame soon subsided, and the Masked Beast stood on the field in all its glory!

* * *

"Overdramatic much?" Simon said.

"Nope," John responded with a smirk.

"Not in the least?"

"On with the story!"

* * *

The Masked Beast is a fearsome looking creature. Instead of a face, it had a blue mask with silver spikes covering part of its head. The orange skinned creature carried a knotted staff that was topped with a red mask adorned only with a fang-filled mouth. Morose masks ran down the middle of its muscled torso, leading into its two powerful, red skinned legs. The legs had bits of blue mask-shaped armor and ended in sharp talons with a matching tail. The towering beast let out a piercing cry as it entered the field.

* * *

"I'd like to point out that you used one sentence to describe Burstinatrix, but a lengthy paragraph for Masked Beast."

"My monsters, my story, my call. Now on with the story!"

* * *

"Next, I'll summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800 1200)," I said, my aquatic Hero appearing on the field, "But he'll soon be leaving because I activate my face-down card, a second Mask Change card!"

"You have two of those!?" Amy asked in surprise.

"Three, actually," I answered, "Now, I sacrifice Bubbleman to Transformation Summon Masked Hero Acid (2600 2100)!"

A mask appeared over Bubbleman's face, then the Hero monster was engulfed by a bright light. When the light faded, a new monster had taken his place. Acid had ditched Bubbleman's light blue/navy blue color schemes, wearing armor whose primary color was royal blue. Black and gold orbs adorned each joint with a gold belt encircling the Masked Hero's waist and a six pointed gold starfish emblazoned across a field of red on his chest. The wrist-mounted bubble-shooter was replaced by a water pistol and the tanks were gone completely. Finally, Acid's mask covered his entire face with red gems placed over his eyes.

"He isn't just a strong monster; he's got a particularly nasty effect," I said darkly, "Go, Acid Rain!"

Masked Hero Acid aimed his pistol skyward and pulled the trigger, firing a spray of dark liquid into the air. The acidic spray rained down on Amy's side of the field, showering her monsters and her Spiritual Forest.

"What's going on?" she asked alarmed.

"When Masked Hero Acid is summoned, his effect activates, destroying every one of your Magic and Trap cards then draining all of your monsters of 300 attack points!"

As the rain fell, Duck Fighter rusted and Amy's forest shriveled and died before her eyes. Since the Ojamas had no attack points to begin with, they were unaffected.

"My Spiritual Forest!" Amy cried.

"And without it, your monsters are wide open," I concluded, "Masked Beast, attack her Ojama King!"

My monster growled menacingly and lurched forward with its powerful claws of death fully extended. The King's eyes widened considerably in fear, then the Masked Beast struck. Ojama King gasped and lolled to the side before falling over backwards.

"Boss!" Ojama Blue cried, racing over to the downed King. Ojama Blue fell to its knees and began crying.

"I will avenge you!" it sobbed.

"Melchid, attack Ojama Blue!" I commanded.

"Oh no!" the Ojama exclaimed. Melchid sped through the air and rammed the blue-skinned Beast. The small monster fell, and both Ojamas pixelated.

"Because Ojama Blue was destroyed by battle," Crazy-Duck-Lady said-

* * *

"I don't think that's her name, Beal."

"It should be. Now on with the story!"

* * *

"-I can add two 'Ojama' cards from my deck to my hand," Amy continued, "So I choose Ojama Country and Ojama Delta Hurricane."

"Like more Ojama cards are gonna help," I taunted, "Masked Hero Acid, attack her Fencing Fire Ferret!" Acid fired its gun again and this time a powerful torrent of dark liquid destroyed Amy's fiery Beast. However, a red segmented blade appeared where her Ferret had been and launched itself at my Masked Hero. The blade pierced its chest and pixelated my monster.

A: 1600 J: 1650

"What just happened!?" I cried.

"When Fencing Fire Ferret is destroyed, I can destroy one face-up monster you control," Amy explained, "When I do, you lose 500 lifepoints."

"Shit!" I loudly cursed.

"Are you done now?"

"Not quite," was my chipper reply, "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn by activating Fissure, which destroys your weakest monster. Since you only have one left, that means Duck Fighter."

A large crack opened in the ground beneath Duck Fighter, and a huge hand emerged. The hand grabbed the duck-shaped jet and dragged it into the abyss.

"Your move."

"You're gonna regret destroying my ducks and Ojamas," Amy stated darkly as she drew, "And it starts with Ojama Country!"

Amy opened the Field Spell slot on her Duel Disk and placed the card inside. The rocky beach once again transformed, this time into a grassy plain with a single tree. Watermelon sized nuts grew on the tree's branches, and the ground was littered with them. A pack of multicolored Ojamas appeared and gathered the fallen nuts. Then, in a whirlwind of activity, the Ojamas constructed a village using the giant tree nuts!

* * *

"You just wanted to say 'giant tree nuts', didn't you?"

"Maaaaaybe…"

"You are so immature."

"You thought it was funny, too!"

"Heh, giant tree nuts."

* * *

"So you have a tiny village full of ugly creatures. I don't see how that's supposed to scare me," I said.

" _Ugly_!?" Amy cried.

"Yes," I said deliberately, "Ug. Ly!"

At this point, Amy looked like she would blow a vessel, so I hurriedly activated my trap.

"Say hello to Mask of Restrict!" I announced as my face-down card was revealed. The card faded away and in its place floated a rather macabre mask. It had a sickly green face with one eye partially closed and red backing. Four teeth projected from a down-turned mouth, and spikes ringed the whole thing.

I couldn't resist. "Looks like an improvement over those Ojamas," I teased.

"WHY YOU-"

"Anyway," I interjected, "As long as this Continuous Trap is active, no cards may be Tributed."

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Simon began, "You had Masked Beast and Mask of Restrict against her empty field?"

"That's the gist of it, yes," John said.

"AND YOU LOST!?"

"Well when you put it like that, it sounds bad."

"IT IS BAD!"

"On with the story!"

* * *

Amy sneered, "Tributing is _so_ not the only way to get strong cards on the field."

"I'm aware," I answered nonchalantly.

"I'll show you!"

"Okay."

"Will you stop being unaffected by my threats!?" Amy yelled.

"I will be affected by your threats when you become threatening," I replied.

"I AM THREATENING!" shouted a red-faced Amy.

"Meh."

If I had been paying close attention to her ears, I would have seen the smoke billowing out of them.

" _That is it_!" she cried, "You're going down! I activate the effect of Ojama Country!

"Ojamas," I deadpanned, "Threatening."

"I can discard an 'Ojama' card from my hand in order to Special Summon an 'Ojama' monster from the Graveyard," Amy explained, "So, I discard Ojama Red and revive Ojama King!"

Amy placed the card in her Graveyard slot and soon enough, her field was occupied by the hulking hideous King.

"And now that I control an Ojama monster," Amy continued, "Ojama Country's other effect activates, switching the attack and defense of all monsters on the field!"

"Oh, shit," I muttered.

(OK: 0 3000→3000 0) (MB: 3200 1800→1800 3200) (MHA: 2600 2100→2100 2600) (MtFFB: 1500 1200→1200 1500)

"Oh, yeah!" boomed Ojama King.

"Now Ojama King is the strongest monster on the field!" Amy said, "Ojama King, attack his Masked Beast!"

Ojama King flexed its once tiny arms. Now, muscles ballooned and rippled. Instead of using this newfound strength, the King jumped high in the air.

"Cannonball!" it cried. Ojama King tucked its limbs and landed on Masked Beast butt-first with a crash, kicking up sand, dirt, and dust.

* * *

"Wait," Simon said, beginning to grin, "Wait. Are you telling me that Masked Beast -your mightiest monster- was beaten by Ojama King's _butt_!?"

"That is what happened," John replied stoically.

"You are never gonna live this down."

"On with the story!"

* * *

A: 1600 J: 550

"So much for that ugly thing," Amy said triumphantly.

"Ojama King is still on the field," I quipped.

Amy glared and said, "Well, it's your turn so take your best shot."

 _Unfortunately, you just destroyed my best shot_ , I thought as I drew a card. I knew my only chance now was to build my defense and buy some time.

"Melchid to defense mode," I announced, "Then I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode (800 2000→ 2000 800)."

"That's it?" Amy mocked, then drew, "My turn then. And I begin with the Magic card De-fusion!"

I was bewildered. "Why would you want to tear apart your Ojama King?"

Ojama King was sucked into a swirling vortex and replaced by the original three Ojamas. All three gave me a stink eye as they returned to the field. You see, De-fusion allows the user to replace a fusion monster with its fusion materials-

* * *

"John, I know what De-fusion does," Simon said.

"Yeah, but what if the reader doesn't?" John replied.

"You're _telling_ me the story!"

"But what about the people reading about our adventures at Duel Academy?" John asked.

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Simon answered, confused.

"I hate you."

"Do you want to stay here?"

"On with the story!"

* * *

"Now that my lovely Ojamas are back on the field," Amy said as her booger-monsters flexed and posed, "I can activate my favorite spell card: Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

"That sounds bad," I muttered.

"It is! For you!" Amy shouted back.

"You really need to work on your trash-talk."

"Whatever! I'm about to win this duel! For Sir Quacks a Lot!" Amy triumphantly declared.

"When all three of Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black are on the field, I can activate Ojama Delta Hurricane in order to destroy every card on your side of the field!"

"Shit."

A thin layer of energy formed between the Ojamas, connecting them. Then, they rotated so Ojama Green was in the air as the point in a triangle. Slowly, but with increasing speed, the ugly Beasts rotated. They gained speed until the monsters were a blur and then a cyclone of energy erupted from the triangle, striking John's defenses. His monsters were wiped from the field.

Amy smirked and continued her turn, "And since Ojama Country is still active, my Ojamas' attack and defense points are switched (1000 0). Attack him directly, for all duck kind!"

"Okay boys," Ojama Yellow said, "Attack position!" All three monsters turned around so I was staring at their boxer clad rears.

"Fire at will, boys!" Ojama Yellow commanded. The Ojamas clenched and strained, then let out obnoxiously loud farts, complete with visible green gas.

A: 1600 J: 0

* * *

"And that's why I need to stay in your room tonight," John concluded.

"You're on the floor," Simon said.

"Thanks."

"And may I just say," Simon began, "You, sir, are an idiot."

"Hey," John replied defensively, "We all make dumb decisions. Do I have to remind you of Scranton?"

"Nope!" Simon rolled over into a sleeping position and closed his eyes. "Goodnight!"

"What about your paper?"

"Fuck!"

* * *

 _End credits music: Headstrong, by Trapt_

 _ **Author's Note: 'Card of Sanctity' was given its anime effect in this story. It's actual effect is 'Banish all other cards you control and in your hand (min. 1 each); draw until you have 2 cards in your hand.'**_


	7. Robbin' Goblin

**Saturday, September 6th**

Simon walked towards the Slifer Red dorm. He had been planning to spend the day at the beach on the Yellow side of the lake, but after sleeping in past noon, he had woken up to discover that the beach was far too crowded. Instead, he would have to take advantage of one of the last days of summer weather at the Slifer beach. He had invited Bastion to join John and himself, but Bastion had chosen to go to the Academy's track instead.

Before knocking on John's door, Simon, carrying a towel, sunblock, and dueling gear while wearing swim trunks, decided to scope out the small, rocky beach to make sure it was unoccupied. Since the rocks made swimming potentially hazardous, students technically weren't allowed to swim back there, but John and Simon were willing to break the rules to enjoy the weather. Banner was fairly lax about them anyway, posting a 'No swimming' sign and doing little else.

Simon stood at the edge of the small cliff and looked at the beach below. It was mostly deserted; he could only see one student dressed in a white t-shirt with shorts. In fact, Simon even recognized the student. It was the boy Amy had dueled over the duck nest, Lorenzo.

Lorenzo was sitting on a rock facing the water. Occasionally, he would skip a stone into the sea, but he mostly stared at the ground. For some reason, he was wearing a Duel Disk.

 _No harm in getting a quick duel in before hitting the waves_ , Simon decided. He carefully made his way down the steep path and called out to Lorenzo.

"Oh, hi," the teen answered, "You're friends with that weird duck lady, right?"

"Well, I don't know if I'd call us friends," the Yellow replied, "I'm Simon."

Lorenzo extended his arm and Simon took it. The Red then returned to staring at the ground.

"Uh, wanna duel?" Simon asked.

"Not really," Lorenzo answered sadly.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," the Slifer answered, "I don't even belong here. I should just give up dueling."

"What!?" Simon alarmedly cried, "But dueling is awesome!"

"Yeah, maybe when you win," Lorenzo replied, "But I keep losing. I lost to duck chick, and I just lost to this asshole Blue named Colton."

"Two losses isn't so bad."

"I haven't won a duel since I got to this island," Lorenzo muttered.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Lorenzo spat, "My deck just isn't good enough for Duel Academy."

"Oh, yeah, but you can fix that," Simon said, "Just get some booster packs from the card shop. They have Lost Sanctuary and-"

"I can't afford to do that," Lorenzo glumly cut in, "You can't get Duel Points without winning, and if I leave here, I'll have to go work in the car shop with my dad."

"Okay," Simon said, considering the situation, "What if you could get new cards for free?"

"Like trading?" Lorenzo asked, "I don't have any extra cards to trade."

"No not trading. Follow me," Simon instructed as he began trekking up the incline, Lorenzo unsure but in tow.

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

"That's a lot of cards," Lorenzo said in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing: two shoeboxes overflowing with Duel Monsters cards. The Fairy duelist had never seen this many cards outside of a card shop.

"Yeah, I'm a bit of a collector," Simon said sheepishly. Lorenzo had followed the Ra to his dorm and was now staring at his collection on the desk in his room. Lorenzo noted that the Ra Yellow dorms were much nicer than his own shared room.

"But how did you get all of these?" Lorenzo pressed.

"Yard sales, mostly," the Ra responded, "When kids grow out of the game, their parents sell their cards en masse for a couple bucks. Obviously, a lot of it is basic starter deck stuff, but most caches have at least a few useful cards."

Lorenzo was impressed. He had never thought of buying people's old cards.

"I don't use any of these," Simon continued, "I never got around to building a Light deck or a Fairy deck so there should be plenty of cards in there you can use."

"You're just _giving_ me these cards?" Lorenzo asked, stunned.

"Why not?" Simon replied, "Like I said, I don't use them. Better someone does than no one does."

Just then there was a knock on the door, followed by a muffled, "It's John!"

"Come in!" Simon called. A moment later a taller boy in cargo shorts and an Avengers graphic tee walked in the room. Lorenzo recognized him as the other student who had watched his duel with the crazy duck lady (or Amy, as Simon had called her).

"Where were you?" the tall boy, John, asked Simon, "I waited on that crappy beach for fifteen minutes!"

"Are you not going to say hello to my guest?" Simon asked.

John looked at Lorenzo, just now noticing his fellow Slifer. He awkwardly waved one and said, "Hellooo."

"John, Lorenzo. Lorenzo, John. You've probably met seeing as you're in the same dorm," Simon said hurriedly.

"Yeah, I've seen you around," John said to the quiet Red.

"Yeah, around the Red dorm," Lorenzo agreed, "Uh, Simon was helping me with my deck."

"I see," John said, pointedly looking at Simon for an explanation.

"What?" the Yellow asked defensively, "He was going to quit Duel Monsters! You should have seen him crying his eyes out on the beach!"

"I didn't cry!" Lorenzo indignantly interjected.

"You should have seen him" Simon continued, "No offense, Lorenzo, but it was kinda pathetic."

"I'm very offended," Lorenzo stated.

"Look, would you just play along?" Simon pleaded, "I'm trying to sell it here."

"In the future, just tell me when you're cancelling plans," John said.

"I'm sorry, Beal," Simon replied, "You're right. I shouldn't have cancelled without letting you know." John seemed satisfied with that, so Simon went back to rifling through his cards while John flopped onto the bed.

"Okay, so Lorenzo," Simon began, "Other than Wingweaver and that Airknight Parthenon-"

"Parshath," Lorenzo corrected.

"Parshath, right," Simon said without missing a beat, "What high level monsters do you have?"

Lorenzo put his arm behind his head, glanced away, and muttered, "No others."

"What!?" Simon cried, "Okay, we gotta change that. Take this, this, and these." Simon shoved five monster cards at Lorenzo, who had no choice but to take them.

"Okay," Lorenzo said, scanning the cards, "These two aren't even Fairy-type." The Slifer handed the indicated cards back to Simon. "And these are Dark attribute." Lorenzo handed the rest of the cards back to the Ra. Meanwhile, John snatched the first two cards from Simon and began reading them.

"They aren't Light monsters, but they can fit in your deck," Simon insisted. He then searched through his card shoebox and emerged with two more cards. "And if you throw these in your deck, those other cards will fit even better."

The Yellow handed all the cards back to his fellow freshman. Lorenzo carefully read each card's description and came to the same conclusion as his unlikely benefactor.

"There's still one problem," the Red said, "It's gonna be tough to summon so many high level monsters."

"I have an idea!" John spoke up, still lying on the bed, "Simon, do you still have that Valhalla card?"

Simon's face lit up and he dove back into his stash of cards. He finally found the one he was looking for and grinned as he showed it to Lorenzo.

"This could work," Lorenzo conceded eagerly.

* * *

An hour later, the trio was entering the Duel Arena. Lorenzo scanned the amphitheater. There were a few students watching a duel between two Obelisks.

"The one on the near side is the guy that beat me earlier today," Lorenzo informed his fellow freshmen.

The Blue, Colton, destroyed his opponent's last monster, then attacked him directly. His monster, a huge ogre looking thing, swung what looked to be a huge log at his opponent, knocking the air out of the guy. Since the monsters disappeared shortly after, Lorenzo assumed Colton had won.

"That's three today!" the triumphant Blue shouted to the arena, "Who wants to lose next?"

"He does!" John cried, pointing at Lorenzo.

Lorenzo alarmedly turned to John and said, "No, I don't."

"Of course he doesn't," Simon said. Lorenzo turned to him thankfully only for the Ra to shout, "He wants to win!"

"Shut up!" Lorenzo said.

"Hey, aren't you that Fairy wimp I beat earlier?" Colton asked, "Why would I want to duel you again?"

"Afraid of a Slifer Red?" John taunted.

"I'm going to kill you," Lorenzo muttered.

"Afraid your win was a fluke?" Simon added.

"I'm going to kill both of you," Lorenzo amended.

"I'm not afraid of _any_ Slifer," Colton replied, "Especially not one with such pussy monsters."

 _Oh hell no._

Lorenzo leapt over the railing and plunged the three stories down to the arena floor. He bent his knees as he landed and went straight into a roll. The Slifer popped to his feet, slamming his deck into his Duel Disk and activating the device in one fluid motion.

"That was impressive," Simon muttered.

"These pussy monsters are about to kick your ass!" Lorenzo shouted. John and Simon face-faulted.

"Looks like Amy isn't the only one who needs to improve her trash talk," John said.

Nevertheless, Colton moved to the far end of the arena while Lorenzo took his former position. The Obelisk activated his Duel Disk, and the rematch began.

L: 4000 C: 4000

"I'll let you start," Colton sneered, "You need all the help you can get."

Lorenzo wordlessly drew his sixth card, then placed it on his Duel Disk.

"Fairy Archer in attack mode (1400 600)," he said. A small female Fairy with four red and gold wings wearing a skintight blue sleeveless dress with matching pants, a skirt made of leaves, and purple boots appeared. She held a longbow the same color as her wings.

"I remember this monster from our last duel," Colton said.

"Then you remember her effect," the Slifer replied, "During my Main Phase, she can inflict 400 points of direct damage for every Light monster I control as long as she doesn't attack that turn."

An arrow materialized on the Archer's bow. She drew it back and fired it at Colton's Duel Disk.

L: 4000 C: 3600

The Blue sneered, "Is that all? Pathetic." Colton drew his sixth card.

"I summon Goblindbergh (1400 0)," the Obelisk declared placing a card on his Disk. A red biplane with an orange propeller appeared in the air over the field with a goblin pilot wearing aviators and a red helmet with two horns on the top.

"What are the odds that he knows that monster is based on Charles Lindbergh?" Simon quietly asked John.

"The same as the odds that he knows who Charles Lindbergh is," the Red replied.

Colton spoke up, "When I Normal Summon this monster, I can Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand, so I play Goblin Attack Force (2300 0)!" A group of green goblins carrying spiked clubs and adorned in gold armor materialized.

"After activating its effect, Goblindbergh is switched to defense mode," Colton said as the pilot landed the plane, "But now I can smash your Archer with my Goblins!"

The pack of green creatures rushed Fairy Archer, surrounded her, and beat her with their clubs, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Colton's monster had returned to its side of the field while Fairy Archer was gone.

L: 3100 C: 3600

"Of course you can't have a level four monster that strong without a drawback," the Blue continued, "Goblin Attack Force switches to defense mode after it attacks." The goblins set up a camp with cookfires, then sat around the fires roasting slabs of meat.

"Your turn, Red," Colton spat.

Lorenzo glared but drew his card without a retort. "I activate a Field Spell, Sanctuary in the Sky!" Lorenzo placed the card in the Field slot on his Duel Disk and the floating stone structure rose up around the duelists. The hologram gave the illusion of clouds drifting below the arena.

Lorenzo continued, "As long as this card remains active, I'll take no damage from a battle involving a Fairy-type monster."

The Blue sneered, "You should worry about what damage is done to you because I'm going to trample your Fairies."

Lorenzo bit back a retort, then put a card in his Duel Disk and another giant building appeared on the field, this time behind the Fairy duelist. Stone columns wreathed in flowery garland supported the open ceilinged structure and red curtains made up the back and side walls. A stone throne atop a dais was in the middle of the great hall.

"This is the spell Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen," Lorenzo explained, "Once per turn, I can use its magic to Special Summon a Fairy-type monster as long as I control no monsters. So now, I summon Athena (2600 800)!" A silver haired woman wearing a gleaming white flowing dress and an ornate silver and gold helmet carrying a silver trident and a silver and gold shield appeared on the throne. She then strode confidently onto the field.

"Now he's mixing mythologies," Simon complained.

"I'm sorry," John said, "I know how that bothers you."

"It shouldn't be allowed!"

"You realize you gave him both of those cards, right?"

"Shut up, Beal."

On the arena floor, Lorenzo said, "This goddess not only has more attack power than anything on the field, she has a nice effect too. Each time a Fairy is summoned, she inflicts 600 points of damage. So I summon Victoria (1800 1600)." A gleaming gold and silver winged hydra formed next to the Greek goddess of wisdom. Athena fired a beam of light from her trident into Colton's Disk.

L: 3100 C: 3000

"That dragon is a Fairy?" Colton sputtered.

"You bet," Lorenzo replied, "And now I can activate Athena's second effect: Once per turn, I can send a Fairy I control to the graveyard to Special Summon a Fairy from my graveyard, as long as that Fairy isn't Athena."

"I'm lost," the Obelisk admitted.

"Then I'll show you," the Slifer replied, "I'll trade Victoria for Fairy Archer (1400 600)!" The hydra pixelated only to be replaced the diminutive winged archer. Athena hit Colton with another beam of light.

L: 3100 C: 2400

"And don't forget about Fairy Archer's effect." She drew her bow back and hit Colton's already abused Duel Disk with another arrow of light.

L: 3100 C: 1600

"Fight like a man and attack!" Colton angrily cried.

"No problem," Lorenzo sneered, "Athena, destroy Goblin Attack Force!" The goddess once again prepared light energy on the tip of her trident. This time she held the energy for several seconds longer and when she fired the beam was large enough to vaporize the entire goblin camp.

"Fairy Archer can't attack the turn I use her effect," the Red continued, "So my turn is over."

"About time," Colton muttered as he drew, "I'll show you how a real duelist does damage. But first, I'll switch Goblindbergh into attack mode and activate the magic card Graceful Charity." A green winged and robed angel appeared over Colton.

"As I'm sure even a Slifer knows, this card allows me to draw three cards, then discard two," Colton explained as he snatched his cards from his deck. The Obelisk scanned his hand and sent two cards to the graveyard slot.

"Next, I remove Goblin Attack Force from play to Special Summon Gigantes (1900 1400)!" As Colton took the card from his graveyard and slipped it into a pocket, a monstrous orange skinned ogre with a single horn on its forehead and dull gray studded armor wielding a tree trunk appeared on the field.

"I'll equip Axe of Despair to my monster to raise its attack by 1000 (G: 1900 1400→2900 1400)," Colton added, slipping a card into his Disk. The ogre's tree trunk was replaced by an oversized battle axe.

"Since I still have my Normal Summon, I'll bring out Goblin Elite Attack Force (2200 1500)," the Blue continued. This monster consisted of a goblin horde dressed in resplendent silver and gold armor and armed with halberds.

 _Shit_ , Lorenzo mentally cursed, _My monsters can't stand up to that much attack power_.

Colton's mouth twisted into a wicked grin, "Gigantes, destroy his Athena!" The ogre swung his axe at Lorenzo's strongest Fairy, who raised her shield in defense. The axe knocked the shield to the ground, and with another mighty swing, Athena was no more.

"Now my goblins, destroy that irritating Archer!" The goblin horde once again surrounded Fairy Archer and relentlessly attacked. Once Fairy Archer was destroyed, Colton's monster formed orderly lines, knelt, and put up their shields.

"As you can see, Goblin Elite Attack Force is also forced into defense mode after it attacks," Colton said, "But I still have one more monster. Goblindbergh attack this wuss directly!" The biplane flew over Lorenzo as its pilot dropped a cartoonish bomb. The bomb landed at Lorenzo's feet and exploded.

L: 1700 C: 1600

Colton laughed then said, "I'm just going to keep mowing down your Fairies to get to you, wuss. You don't stand a chance."

Lorenzo drew and yelled, "Get through this! I use Valhalla to Special Summon Wingweaver (2750 2400)!" The six winged Fairy materialized on the throne in her yellow dress. She flitted her wings and flew in front of Lorenzo.

Colton barked another laugh. "No problem, you Slifer dumbass. Gigantes has more attack points."

"Not after I equip Wingweaver with the Cestus of Dagla to increase her attack by 500 points (W: 2750 2400→3250 2400)," Lorenzo replied. He placed the card in his Duel Disk and golden gauntlets appeared on Wingweaver's wrists. The gauntlets were connected to blades that curved around Wingweaver's hands.

"Wingweaver, attack!"

"No, wait!" Simon cried.

Wingweaver sliced through Gigantes with her Cesti and the monster shattered into pixels.

L: 1700 C: 1250

Then the arena began to rumble.

"What's happening?" Lorenzo asked.

Colton laughed again and said, "Whenever Gigantes is destroyed by battle, every spell and trap card on the field is destroyed."

Lorenzo's expression widened in shock and he cried, "No!" Cracks formed in The Sanctuary in the Sky. The structure shook and the angel statue crumbled. Then the rest of the arena fell apart. Meanwhile, Valhalla's columns toppled as the building fell apart. The chunks of rock kicked up huge amounts of dust as they fell. When it cleared, both structures were gone and Wingweaver had lost her gauntlets.

"That asshole tricked him," Simon muttered.

"Yeah," John agreed, "Baited Lorenzo into attacking with those taunts. He's smarter than he looks."

On the arena floor, Colton sneered triumphantly, but Lorenzo appeared calm.

"You may have destroyed my spells," Lorenzo admitted, "But since I still have the strongest monster on the field and your Goblin Elite Attack Force can't be switched from defense mode for another turn, they were no longer needed."

"He's full of shit," John muttered.

 _As long as I have the strongest monster,_ Lorenzo thought, _I won't miss those cards too much._ Out loud, he said, "When a monster equipped with Cestus of Dagla inflicts battle damage, I gain life points equal to the amount of damage."

L: 2050 C: 1250

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," the Red finished

Colton drew then quickly played his card.

"I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of whatever trap you just set," the Obelisk announced. Lorenzo's set card flipped face-up to reveal Mirror Force and was summarily destroyed.

"Lorenzo still has the strongest monster," John pointed out.

Simon frowned and said, "That Obelisk is planning something."

Colton was grinning again. He held up a card dramatically and said, "Now, I'll play the card that beat you earlier! I sacrifice Goblin Elite Attack Force to summon White-Horned Dragon (2200 1400)!"

The horde dematerialized and in its place appeared a huge red-scaled dragon with white claws on each limb and a single long, sharp white horn atop its head.

"He still can't beat Wingweaver!" John exclaimed.

"Give it a second," Simon replied.

"When White-Horned Dragon is summoned," Colton continued, "I can banish up to five spells from your graveyard! And for every spell banished, my Dragon gains 300 attack points!"

"Well, shit," John said.

"And since you have three spells in your graveyard, White-Horned Dragon gains 900 attack points!" the Blue cried. (WHD: 2200 1400→3100 1400)

"White-Horned Dragon attack!" The red Dragon flew towards Wingweaver and lowered its horn. The horn gored Lorenzo's Fairy, and she shattered into pixels.

L: 1700 C: 1250

"Goblindbergh, direct attack!" The pilot repeated its bomb procedure.

L: 300 C: 1250

"You're up, Red."

For the first time this duel, Lorenzo looked worried. He drew a card and immediately perked up.

"I activate Pot of Greed," he announced, "Which of course lets me draw two cards." The Red student quickly did so. "Next, I'll use the effect of a card in my hand, Zeradias, Herald of Heaven," he announced, "By discarding this monster, I can add Sanctuary in the Sky to my hand."

"But I destroyed that card!" Colton exclaimed.

"I have multiple copies," Lorenzo revealed, "Now I activate Sanctuary in the Sky." Once again, the floating shrine in the sky rose up around the duelists. "Next, I'll set three cards and end my turn."

"That's a pretty good defense," Simon commented.

"Or a bluff," John said.

"I don't know," Simon replied, "Why play Sanctuary if he doesn't summon a Fairy? Something's up."

Colton was thinking more along John's lines. "You won't fool me with that bluff," he said, "White-Horned Dragon, end this!"

"I don't think so!" Lorenzo cried, "I activate my trap, Light of Judgment!"

One of Lorenzo's face-down cards flipped, and the clouds beneath the field parted. Storm clouds formed above the field and the arena darkened, but the clouds above parted as well to allow a bright light to shine on the field. The spectators shielded their eyes.

"By discarding one Light monster from my hand," Lorenzo, who was not shielding his eyes, said, "While Sanctuary in the Sky is active, I can destroy one card on the field or in your hand. So, I discard Splendid Venus (2800 2400) to destroy your White-Horned Dragon!"

The Slifer slipped the card into his graveyard slot. Then, the light focused into a single beam and shone on Colton's Dragon. The Dragon shuddered under the intense light, then broke apart into thousands of pixels.

Colton was incensed; he ground his teeth before roaring his next command, "Goblindbergh, end this!"

The plane took off and made a pass over Lorenzo's head. Once again, the pilot dropped a bomb as he flew past the Fairy duelist. The bomb exploded and when the smoke cleared, the arena still looked like the Sanctuary in the Sky, and Colton's monsters remained on the field. Additionally, one of Lorenzo's two remaining face-downs had revealed itself.

"Why isn't this duel over?" the Obelisk growled.

"Because of my Quick-Play spell," the Slifer responded, "The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh, which allowed me to Special Summon Winged Kuriboh (300 200) who took your monster's attack."

"You still have nothing!" Colton exclaimed, "No monsters, no cards in your hand and no chance of winning this duel. You're still just a Slifer Red wuss."

"We'll see," Lorenzo replied dangerously.

"Before I end my turn," the Blue said, "I'll summon Chainsaw Insect (2400 0) to make your situation just that much more hopeless." A large beetle whose mandibles were twin curved chainsaws appeared next to the biplane.

"You know," the Slifer Red student said as he picked up a card, "I don't quite have nothing. I have two cards on the field. My Sanctuary…and my face-down."

A worried frown flashed across the Blue's face for a split second before he suppressed it. "You still a need a monster," he said.

"I agree!" Lorenzo exclaimed, "That's why I'll activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted!"

"If he revives Wingweaver," Simon said, "He can win by attacking Goblindbergh!"

"I Special Summon Victoria (1800 1600) in attack mode!"

"Or he can do that," John said.

Lorenzo's silver and gold hydra reappeared on the field and hissed at Colton's monsters. The Obelisk began to laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha, that monster can't even beat my Chainsaw Insect!" he cried, "You just threw away the duel!"

"Didn't you ever wonder why there was a Fairy that looked like a Dragon?" the Slifer asked, "You see, Victoria has an effect. I can target a Dragon-type monster in _your_ graveyard and Special Summon it to _my_ side of the field."

Colton's laughter dried up. "Wha…?"

"So welcome back, White-Horned Dragon (2200 1400)!" Victoria was surrounded by a golden glow and the hydra heads began to hiss and sway rhythmically. Colton's White-Horned Dragon slowly materialized on Lorenzo's side of the field.

"And since you have two spells in your graveyard, White-Horned Dragon gains 600 attack points (WHD: 2200 1400→2800 1400)!" the Slifer continued.

"But…but…" Colton stammered.

"White-Horned Dragon," Lorenzo called, "Attack his Goblindbergh and end this duel!" The blood colored dragon beat its powerful wings and took off after the biplane. It raked its sharp claws through the plane's wing and watched as it crashed to the arena floor and exploded.

L: 300 C: 0000

"NO WAY!" Colton roared, stomping across the field towards Lorenzo, "THERE'S NO WAY I LOST TO A SLIFER!"

"Calm down-" Lorenzo began.

"SHUT UP!" the Blue roared, reaching Lorenzo and grabbing his jacket, "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!"

Lorenzo was a sizable man and he appeared to be in good shape. But Colton was several inches taller and appeared to outweigh him by at least twenty-five pounds. It didn't look good for the Slifer.

 _Rrrooooowwwwrrrrr!_

Everyone, even the pissed off Obelisk, turned towards the source of the roar. On the walkway overlooking the Duel Arena stood a lone man in a blue jacket. He had dark skin and black hair curled up into a small afro. He also had an active Duel Disk on his arm and a huge Dragon to his right. And not just any Dragon: the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

"You lost fair and square," he said, "So if you have a problem with it, you can talk to me and my Dragons!"

Colton stared at the man and his Blue-Eyes and decided it wasn't worth it. He let go of Lorenzo and stormed out of the arena, bumping the Slifer's shoulder on his way. The man deactivated his Duel Disk and the Blue-Eyes hologram vanished.

"Thank you," Lorenzo called.

"Don't mention it. That guy's an ass," the man said, "I'm glad you beat him. That was some impressive dueling." He waved to Lorenzo and promptly left the arena through one of the upper exits.

"I wonder who that guy was," John said.

"I don't know," Simon replied, "I'll have to ask Bastion. If he has a Blue-Eyes, I definitely want to duel him."

"So what do I do now?" Lorenzo asked.

"You won the arena," John said.

Simon grinned at the Fairy duelist and said, "Now defend it."

* * *

 _End credits music: Brand New, by Ben Rector_


	8. The Announcement

**Sunday, September 7th**

Unbeknownst to most of the island's inhabitants, there were actually five dorms. Obviously, the students lived in the Slifer, Ra, and both Obelisk dorms. However, deep in the woods on Duel Academy Island's eastern side, there was an abandoned dorm building. The dorm had housed the school's faculty during its first year of operation. It had been closed because it was so far from the rest of campus. At least, that's what Sheppard told anyone that asked.

The real reason the dorm had been abandoned was because of supernatural occurrences in and around the building. The chancellor hadn't thought anything of it until a teacher was injured. He had finally looked into the issue and eventually decided to shut down the building. Other than the odd student who heard the legend of Duel Academy's abandoned dorm, it had remained undisturbed for a decade. But tonight, that would change.

A man dressed in all black except for a hooded gray cloak that obscured his face approached the building in the dead of night. He pushed open the front door, the rusted lock offering no resistance, and stepped inside. He supposed that once the furnishings had been ornate and beautiful, but now everything was coated in a thick layer of dust and tarps covered all the furniture.

Two staircases on either side of the lobby led to the second floor, but the man entered a door in the center of the room. From here, a staircase led down to the basement. Grabbing a flashlight from beneath his cloak, the man proceeded downstairs.

The basement was drab and dirty. Tools were strewn about and gathering rust and dust. The man strode to the far wall and placed his hand against the concrete. He felt the solid wall and began to softly tap against it. The man listened carefully until one tap sounded different than the others. He placed his hand on that spot and pushed. Slowly, the section of wall depressed. The man stepped back as a hidden door swung open.

Turning on his flashlight, the man chuckled darkly as he stepped through the opening, the door swinging shut behind him.

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

 **Monday, September 8th**

Simon yawned as Professor Wasem lectured. The Duel History teacher was the oldest member of Duel Academy's faculty. In Simon's opinion, he was also the driest. His lectures had put the Ra to sleep every day last week. Today, Simon had managed to remain awake only because of how upset he was.

He looked down at the essay on his desk, the same one he had turned in Friday. Written in the right hand corner in red pen was a big capital 'B'. Beneath that, Wasem had scribbled, 'see me after class,' and underlined it. Simon wanted to talk to the aging professor anyway; there was no way he deserved a 'B' for this paper. It didn't help that Bastion had gotten an 'A' and used it to lecture Simon about doing one's work in a timely manner.

"Class," Professor Wasem said, "your homework this week is to research one duelist from the 'Golden Age' and write a two-page paper about his or her career. Dismissed."

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Bastion asked his fellow Ra.

"No thanks, Bas," Simon declined, "I'll see you later." Bastion nodded and followed the rest of the class as they left the room. Meanwhile, Simon walked the opposite direction to the front of the room where Professor Wasem was talking to the grad student, Brandon. Brandon sat in on Wasem's classes and took notes on the lectures. After all, he wanted to become a teacher who specialized in history.

"Professor?" Simon interrupted the conversation, "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah, yes, Mr. Brown," Wasem said, "I was quite disappointed with your essay."

"Why, sir?"

The professor looked around the room and asked, "What class is this, Mr. Brown?"

"Uh, Duel History 201?" answered the confused Ra.

"Yes," Wasem replied, "And in history, what do we care about?"

"The past?"

"No."

"The present?"

"No."

"The future?"

"No!"

"I think what Professor Wasem is trying to say," Brandon interjected, "Is that your paper was too opinionated."

"What do you mean?" Simon asked the two.

"You see, boy," Wasem began, "When discussing history, all that matters are the facts. There is no place for one's opinions. For example, saying, 'Joey Wheeler one many duels and tournaments and was considered one of the greatest duelists of the Golden Age,' is correct."

"But I did say that," Simon protested.

"True," Wasem lamented, "But you also said, 'Wheeler possessed so much luck, he could have won enough money at a Vegas casino to buy a Vegas casino.'" Brandon stifled a laugh, and Wasem shot him a look.

"What's wrong with that?" Simon asked.

"What's wrong is that that is your opinion," Wasem said, "Not a fact. It is also not a fact that, 'If you opened Yugi Muto's grave, all you would find are his bones and a horseshoe that smells strongly of feces.'" Brandon earned another glare from Wasem when he barked a laugh.

"Nor is, 'Seto Kaiba was so obsessed with beating the King of Games, he probably had a secret shrine devoted to the man.'" Brandon began to outright laugh now, and Simon couldn't hold back a satisfied grin. Wasem glared at both the grad student and the freshman.

"Professor, I included those parts to make the paper more interesting," Simon explained, "They add to the facts, not detract from them."

"Nevertheless, I expect your next assignment to stick to what happened," Wasem scolded, "Not how you feel about it."

"Yes, sir," Simon muttered. He turned around, walked up the steps, and left the classroom.

"Hey, Simon! Wait up!"

Simon turned and saw Brandon following him. The Ra stopped and said, "Sorry, I didn't realize you were behind me."

"No worries," the man responded, "Listen, I really liked your paper."

"Thanks," Simon said, "Still got a 'B' on it though."

"Yeah," Brandon commiserated, "Wasem is a stick in the mud. Yours was the only paper that I _enjoyed_ reading."

"Well, thanks, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, it doesn't change your grade," Brandon cut in, "But I have an offer for you. This year, Sheppard made me editor-in-chief of the school paper, _The Academy Tribune_."

"Okay."

"Last year, I was a duel monsters analyst for the paper with Joseph Fast. He's-"

"I've met Joe," Simon said, "I know what he's like."

Brandon nodded and continued, "He is a good analyst. He knows more about dueling than Dr. Crowler. But, he can be a bit technical and dull. Unfortunately, I can't be his co-analyst this year."

"Right."

"So I need a replacement. Someone who knows there stuff but can also be an engaging foil for Joe."

"Are you offering me the job?" Simon asked point-blank.

"Yes," Brandon said.

"What would I have to do?" the Ra inquired.

"Not much. I would need one article per week, plus coverage of any Academy sanctioned duels and tournaments," the grad student explained.

"Perks?"

"I can give you 100 Duel Points per article," Brandon said, "Plus, you get access to duelist data that only faculty gets to see."

"Sold," Simon said, sticking out his hand.

Brandon shook the offered hand and said, "Welcome to the _Tribune._ "

* * *

 **Tuesday, September 9th**

Simon, Bastion, John, Fast, and Amy stood outside Dr. Crowler's classroom before first period. They were discussing Simon's appointment to the school paper.

"I don't really need the Duel Points," Simon said, "I duel so often and have so many cards already."

"Then why did you take on the extra work?" John asked, "That isn't like you."

"The duelist data," Simon revealed, "I get access to all the information that the Duel Disks store. Normally, only the teachers get to see that."

"That information is invaluable," Bastion said, "I personally would love to see it."

"Who else gets to see it?" Amy wondered.

"Joe does," Jacob chimed in, "He's bragged about it several times."

"Joe and I get to see it," Simon confirmed, "So does Augustus, the emcee. The _Tribune_ also prints some of the stats, so whoever is in charge of that I guess."

"Hi, John," a new voice broke in, "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, hi Anna," John said, spotting the newcomer in her white Obelisk uniform, "Simon got a job on the school paper."

"Cool!" Anna exclaimed, "Freshmen don't normally get to write in the _Tribune_."

"Hi, I don't believe we've met," Fast jumped in, "I'm Jacob Fast."

"Anna Gooden." Anna shook Jacob's offered hand.

"Well, I'm not a normal freshman," Simon smugly said.

"Certainly not normal," John said. Amy smacked his arm.

"Be nice," she scolded.

"Thanks, Amy," Simon said, "I meant that I'm a great writer and duelist."

"Well if they're looking for a great duelist, they shoulda picked me," Fast quipped, "I'm the best duelist in the freshman class."

"Oh, really?" Bastion asked, "You may have gone to a prep school, but Simon and I were the first applicants to ever get perfect scores on the entrance exam."

"So?" Fast dismissively said, "I beat Simon in a duel."

"I wasn't using my best cards," Simon pointed out.

"I still won."

"Well, you haven't dueled me!" Bastion declared.

"Or me!" Anna chimed in. Soon, the entire group was trying to talk over each other at ever increasing volume. Then…

"QUIET!"

Everyone looked at Dr. Crowler, who was glaring angrily at the group of freshmen.

"What is this ruckus about!?" he asked.

"We were arguing about who the best duelist in the freshman class is," Fast explained.

"Well, if you want to know who the best duelist is," Crowler fumed, "Why don't you _duel_ instead of yelling about it in front of my class!"

"That's a great idea!" Simon cried, "We can ask Sheppard for a freshmen only tournament!"

"That way, we can know for sure who the best freshman at Duel Academy is," Bastion said.

"And let 'em show it in front of the whole school!" Fast added.

"Let's go!" Simon cried.

The three students took off toward Chancellor Sheppard's office until Crowler snapped, "You have class!"

The trio face-faulted in embarrassment.

"After class?" Bastion asked.

"Agreed," the other two replied.

* * *

"Come in!" Simon called, having heard a knocking on his dorm room door. He glanced away from his video game long enough to see John and Anna enter.

"Hi, Anna," he said, "Still hanging out with that big buffoon I see."

"Don't you have homework?" John snapped, stepping between Simon and the TV.

"Probably," Simon replied half-heartedly, craning his neck to see around John. He gave up and paused the game.

"So what's up?" the frustrated Ra asked.

"Did Sheppard say yes?" the big buffoon asked.

"He did," Simon excitedly announced, "It'll start next Saturday and end on Sunday."

"Did he say who would be in the tournament?" the Blue asked.

"No," Simon sighed, "He just said the details would be worked out at the next faculty meeting."

"Which is when?" John asked.

"I don't know," Simon replied, "But Brandon asked me to write an article about it once the tournament is announced."

"Won't you be _in_ the tournament?" the Obelisk pointed out.

"Hopefully."

"Then doesn't that you make you biased?"

"A little," Simon admitted, "So how are your study sessions going?"

Anna beamed. "Really well," she said, "I don't think I could get through these homework assignments without John."

"Oh crap!" Simon suddenly cried, "I _do_ have an assignment due tomorrow!"

"Well, we'll leave you to it then," John said. He and Anna grabbed their bookbags and departed, leaving Simon alone in his room. The Ra chuckled and picked up his controller, resuming his game.

"Idiots."

* * *

 **Friday, September 12th**

"Alright, everyone thanks for coming," Chancellor Sheppard said to the faculty members gathered in his living room. The room was plainly but comfortably furnished, with plenty of seating for such occasions. The walls and furniture were a light purple color (Sheppard thought it was mauve but wasn't sure). It was intended to be soothing, and his office was painted the same color. The door that connected his quarters with his office was wide open in case any stragglers arrived.

"As you may have heard," he continued, "Next weekend, Duel Academy will hold its first ever Freshman Tournament." At this, the assembled teachers and staff began muttering amongst themselves.

"I understand that some students proposed this tournament," Fonda, wearing her white Obelisk uniform, said. Sheppard had no idea how she looked so pristine after teaching three phys ed classes

"That's right," the chancellor confirmed, "Simon Brown, Bastion Misawa, and Jacob Fast came to me with this idea."

"And I suppose they all believe they will be participating in this competition?" Vellian asked disdainfully. Sheppard was well aware of his dislike for the young Ra Yellow.

"Shouldn't they?" Lyman countered, "They all have impressive dueling records."

"Mr. Brown has lost more duels than anyone since he arrived," Crowler snidely commented.

"While I share your…distaste for the boy," the elderly Hideo Wasem began, "He has also won more duels than anyone on the island. Including many against your Obelisks, Dr. Crowler."

Professor Sartyr added, "And he and Mr. Misawa demonstrated their intellect on the entrance exams."

"An excellent point, Jim. I believe they should both be included," Sheppard announced, "And Mr. Fast, seeing as he was one of our top recruits. Any objections?"

"We need at least four competitors," Brandon pointed out. Even though he was a graduate student, Sheppard thought it would be good for him to attend these meetings.

"I agree," Lyman said, "Perhaps a Slifer Red to round out the field?"

Crowler loudly scoffed. Jim asked, "And who would you suggest, Lyman?"

"Amy Hart is one of the few duelists to have not yet lost this year."

" _Her_?" Vellian squawked, "She hasn't lost because she hasn't dueled anyone outside her dorm. That only proves that she's the best Slifer which isn't saying much."

"Then who do you recommend?" Banner asked testily.

Vellian grinned. "I'm glad you asked…"

* * *

At 6:30 PM, every student at Duel Academy received the following message on their Duel Pilots (as well as several news outlets):

 _This is an official announcement of Duel Academy's first official Freshman Tournament. See the best of Duel Academy's most spectacular freshman class to date as they square off in Duel Academy's own KaibaCorp Arena! The tournament will be contested with official Pro Dueling rules. The first round will begin on Saturday, September 20th at 5 PM EST. The finals will be held Sunday, September 21st at 3 PM. Although student attendance is not mandatory, 10 Duel Points will be given to all who attend. Additionally, 25 Duel Points will be awarded to all competitors, with second place receiving an extra 50 Duel Points and the winner receiving an extra 100 Duel Points. The first round matches are as follows:_

 _Bastion Misawa of Ra Yellow vs. Jacob Fast of Obelisk Blue_

 _Simon Brown of Ra Yellow vs. Taylor Miller of Obelisk Blue_

 _Good luck to all duelists! We look forward to crowning a champion!_

* * *

 **Friday, September 12th, 6:31 PM**

 _Who is Taylor Miller?_

Bastion looked at the message at the top of his Duel Pilot. The sender was of course his neighbor, classmate, and friend Simon Brown. Before he could reply, he heard a knocking on his door.

"Enter," Bastion called, strongly suspecting he knew who it was. Simon promptly opened the door and flung himself on Bastion's bed. The native Hawaiian had noticed that both Simon and his friend John had a habit of jumping on the bed when they entered someone else's room. It was quite unusual and a little rude. Bastion gave his compatriot a sour look.

Simon ignored it. "Who is Taylor Miller?" he asked.

Bastion sighed and wondered if he should even answer. As undignified as the shorter Ra could be, he had mostly been a good friend to Bastion since they arrived on the island. They often discussed cards and strategies late into the night. The two had even made a few trades. In the end, he decided to help his friend, no matter how annoying he could be. That didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun first.

"How could you not have heard of Taylor Miller?" Bastion asked, feigning surprise. Simon's lack of knowledge about the other duelists on the island _had_ surprised him at first considering how well he had done on Duel Academy's entrance exam. Now, Bastion was well aware that Simon really only knew about professional duelists.

"C'mon, Bas," Simon whined, "Tell me! Please?"

"Very well," Bastion acquiesced, "Taylor Miller is a legend on the West Coast. He was Duel Academy's top recruit. For months, it seemed as though he would attend West Academy in Los Angeles, only a drive up the coast from his hometown of San Diego. However, a letter from his idol, and Duel Academy's top financial backer, Seto Kaiba changed his mind."

"Wait, Seto Kaiba is his idol?" Simon asked. Kaiba wasn't just a 'financial backer'. He'd had KaibaCorp build the Academy years ago, citing a need to educate up and coming duelists. After buying this island and renaming it Duel Academy Island, it had taken five years for Kaiba to open Duel Academy. In the ensuing few years, several other dueling colleges popped up across the country. Now, not only did Duel Academy have plenty of competition for students, but Pro Dueling had a wave of new stars rivaling the Golden Age of Dueling (of which Kaiba had been a major part).

"Yes," Bastion answered, "Taylor is a Dragon duelist."

"Any specific Dragon?" Simon asked knowingly.

"Of course. Kaiba's own legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Bastion said, "Rumor is he even has the Fusion Monster Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

"Wow," Simon breathed.

"Indeed. He'll be a formidable opponent indeed."

"Well, I'll help you prepare for Fast if you help me prepare for Taylor," Simon offered.

"Agreed."

* * *

Lorenzo wandered deeper into the forest. He glanced at the map on his Duel Pilot to make sure he wasn't lost. He briefly wondered why no one had cleared the trees so students wouldn't get lost. He also wondered how so many deciduous trees survived in the tropics. The Slifer wouldn't be so worried if he was lost in a forest of palm trees. It didn't help that night on Duel Academy Island was pitch-black. Even the small town he was from had some street lights on at night.

 _I shouldn't even be out here_ , he thought. It was well past curfew. If the Slifer Red student had classes in the morning, he would have been asleep when he got the message on his Duel Pilot. Receiving a message so late was surprising in itself. The fact that all it said was 'meet me here bring deck' followed by a string of coordinates was even more surprising. Yet, the most surprising thing about the message was who it was from.

Eventually, the Fairy duelist's curiosity had overrode his better judgment and he had found out the coordinates corresponded to a location on the island. Now, here he was with nothing but his Duel Pilot, deck, and Duel Disk. Lost in the woods.

After what felt like ages, but was likely closer to twelve seconds, Lorenzo stepped into a wide clearing. He gazed up at the moon that he hadn't seen since he had stepped into the treeline. The clearing was bathed in moonlight, enough that Lorenzo could make out the shape of a person on the other side of the clearing. A person wearing a Duel Disk.

"I'm glad you came," he said.

"I'm not," Lorenzo replied, "I'm regretting it."

"Nevertheless, here you are."

"And why am I here?" the Slifer inquired.

"Because," the man said stepping forward into the moonlight, revealing dark skin, an Obelisk Blue uniform, and a small afro, "You're going to help me."

"How could _I_ help _you_ , Taylor?" Lorenzo asked.

"I need a practice partner to get ready for this Freshman Tournament," Taylor replied, "Since I've gotten here, everyone has been afraid to duel me. But you aren't, are you?"

Lorenzo could finally make out the man's eye color. Brown. _Not blue. Not like your Dragon_.

"Not really," Lorenzo admitted.

"Exactly," Taylor said excitedly, "I saw you at the arena. I saw how you beat that Colton punk. I saw your confidence grow."

Lorenzo had to admit, he was feeling pretty good. He had won three duels that day which was three more than he had won before. The Red had dueled and won several more times this week and was as confident a duelist as he had ever been. He certainly no longer thought about leaving Duel Academy.

Taylor continued, "I also saw how good you are. I need someone like that- talented, confident, unafraid- to test my skills."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Lorenzo asked.

Taylor smiled and activated his Duel Disk. "We duel."

* * *

 _End credits mus-_

* * *

"Hold on."

* * *

 _*sound of record scratching*_

* * *

"Now?" Lorenzo whined, "It's past curfew!"

"Look, I need all the practice I can get," Taylor said firmly, "I know your friend Simon is no slouch, and I haven't gotten to duel much these past few weeks."

"Okay, but can't we wait until tomorrow?"

"No," the Blue sighed, "I don't want our duel to be observed."

"Because I'm a Slifer, right?" Lorenzo asked disgustedly.

"No, nothing like that," Taylor dismissed, "I don't care what dorm anyone is in. All I care about is how good they are. And I saw how good you are."

"Wow," Lorenzo said, taken aback, "I'm sorry. Most Obelisks are jerks about the dorm thing so I just assumed…"

"It's alright," Taylor replied, "I'm an inner city black kid. People have been assuming much worse things about me my whole life."

Lorenzo laughed and responded, "I'm a Mexican from Arizona. I know what you've been through."

"I suppose," Taylor said with a laugh.

"So why don't you want anyone to see us duel?" Lorenzo asked, getting back on topic.

"I just want to keep my strategies for the tournament a secret," Taylor explained, "Keep a few tricks up my sleeve sort of thing."

"Sounds reasonable," Lorenzo said. The Slifer could feel his better judgment leaving him. He really did want to duel Taylor. For once, he thought he was up to the task of taking on the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Alright," the Fairy duelist sighed, "I'm in."

Brown eyes met green. "Let's duel."

* * *

 _End credits music: Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns N' Roses_


	9. Dragon's Roar

Chancellor Sheppard was sitting at his desk completing promotional work for the recently announced Freshman Tournament. ESPN and CBS both wanted broadcast rights for their college sports networks. Sheppard also had to coordinate radio broadcasts, online live streaming, and Brandon was hassling him about the school's own coverage of the event. Sheppard sighed and recalled a time when he had needed to offer broadcast rights of the Academy's Tournaments to networks.

 _I had hair back then,_ he thought sadly. Still, Sheppard wouldn't trade his decade of stewardship for all the hair on his younger self's head. When he had left the Duel Monsters promoting business fifteen years ago to become an educator, he hadn't envisioned a future where he could do both. He was thankful to Seto Kaiba every day for the opportunity.

As the chancellor was reading over a contract, his computer pinged. Rolling his desk chair over to the monitor, Sheppard checked the alert.

 _An after hours duel_ , he realized, _Let's see who it is._

Although dueling after curfew was not allowed at Duel Academy, it occurred about once a week. If he wanted to end the practice altogether, he could have just had the Duel Disks programmed to not work after 10:00 PM. But, Sheppard found these duels entertaining. To be a good promoter of the game, one had to be a fan of it. And Chancellor Sheppard was a big Duel Monsters fan. Unfortunately, since taking his current position, he hadn't been able to watch as many duels as he would have liked. So, he took advantage of these late night duels to enjoy the game. However, he would remotely shut down the Duel Disks of repeat offenders. Rules were rules.

Sheppard clicked the alert icon and pulled up the duel details on his screen. It showed that a Slifer student, Lorenzo Benitez, was dueling an Obelisk. Not just any Obelisk: the Dragon duelist, Taylor Miller. Sheppard had been eager to see his duels, but for whatever reason, the freshman hadn't dueled since the beginning of the school year. As for Mr. Benitez, the Slifer had struggled early in the year, but Sheppard saw that he had won his last seven matches.

 _I wonder if I have any popcorn in the kitchen._

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

Lorenzo and Taylor took up positions on either side of the moonlit clearing and activated their Duel Disks.

"In order to best simulate the conditions of the tournament," Taylor called, "The Taylor proposes an 8000 lifepoint duel!"

 _The Taylor?_ Lorenzo wondered. "I accept," he replied.

The Obelisk nodded. "Good. The Taylor will end this quickly!" Lorenzo's boisterous opponent said as they drew their starting hands. He drew a sixth card and said, "The Taylor calls his mighty Dragon Golem (200 2000) to the field in defense mode!" A large brown stone dragon announced itself with a loud roar. Taylor roared with his dragon, howling at the night sky. Then, he said, "The Taylor will show mercy and end his turn."

"Are you gonna talk in the first person the whole time?" the Slifer asked.

"Pretty much," Taylor responded.

"Great," Lorenzo muttered as he drew to begin his turn.

"Perfect!" he declared, "I activate the magic of Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!" A huge columned structure enclosed by red curtains rose out of the ground behind me.

"The Taylor is unimpressed with your puny building."

"This 'puny building' has a strong power. When I have no monsters on the field, like right now, I can Special Summon one Fairy-type monster from my hand," the Fairy duelist explained, "Now, I will use that power to Special Summon Gellenduo (1700 0)."

His monster appeared, one pink and one green fairy with oddly shaped heads and halos around their bodies. "Next, I sacrifice Gellenduo in order to summon Wingweaver (2750 2400)!" The six-winged, purple-haired fairy gracefully stepped onto the battlefield.

"Now you may be wondering how I summoned a level seven monster with just one sacrifice," the Slifer began.

"Not really," Taylor cut in, "Gellenduo counts as two sacrifices for the Tribute Summoning of a Light, Fairy-type monster."

"No wonder you're in Obelisk," the Red muttered.

The Obelisk smiled condescendingly and said, "The Taylor is not afraid of your Fairies."

"Well maybe he should be!" Lorenzo replied, "Wingweaver destroy Golem Dragon!" She fired a powerful pulse of light energy that completely obliterated the dragon. "I end my turn."

Taylor drew, looked at his card, and said, "The Taylor will show the Fighting Fairy some real power! Come forth, Lord of D. (1200 1100)!" The caped and skeletally armored Spellcaster appeared on Taylor's side of the field.

 _Crap,_ Lorenzo thought, _if he has that card then he's probably gonna play…_

"Now that the Lord of D. is on the field, the Flute of Summoning Dragon can be activated!" Taylor stated. He then played his magic card, causing the instrument to appear in his monster's hands. The Lord of D. played two clear notes, and shortly two more Dragons emerged on the field, one to either side of the flute-wielder. To his left, was a gray, possibly ephemeral serpent like Dragon, and to his right, was a huge white-blue Dragon, which let out a booming roar, echoed by its master.

"The Flute of Summoning Dragon can only be activated when I control Lord of D. It allows me to Special Summon up to two Dragon-type monsters from my hand."

"I know how the card works," the Red grumbled.

"The Taylor would like to introduce his opponent to Divine Dragon Ragnarok (1500 1000)," he indicated the dragon on the left, "And the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000 2500)!" he yelled as he indicated the dragon on the right.

 _Oh, no,_ Lorenzo thought worriedly, _He has enough fire-power to take out Wingweaver and a chunk of my lifepoints!_

* * *

 _Finally!_ Sheppard thought, _I've been waiting to see the Blue-Eyes White Dragon since I offered that kid a full-ride!_

The chancellor was watching a video feed of the match from one of Duel Academy's many security cameras. To call Kaiba a security fanatic was an understatement. The man had cameras installed just about everywhere, including the middle of the forest. Sheppard couldn't think of a place on the island that wasn't monitored. Of course, most of the cameras went unchecked until the need arose.

Sheppard turned around and gazed out his office window, looking for a glimpse of the iconic beast in the distance. Unfortunately, the Dragon was only as tall as the trees, not taller. Just as Sheppard returned his attention to the screen, he heard a timer beep.

 _My popcorn!_

* * *

Taylor threw his head back and laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, now that Blue-Eyes has been unleashed, The Taylor's victory has been assured! Blue-Eyes, attack Wingweaver! White Lightning!"

The dragon roared once again and began charging a white ball of energy in its mouth. The ball extended into a beam which tore through my last line of defense.

"Now, Divine Dragon Ragnarok and Lord of D., attack directly!"

The transparent dragon flew forward and bit Lorenzo's Duel Disk, followed by the Lord of D. throwing a punch through his midsection.

T: 8000 L: 5050

"The Taylor is finished with you…for now," Taylor concluded.

The situation looked lopsided, but the Slifer had some things in his favor. Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen was still active while Taylor had no magic or trap cards on the field. He also had just two cards in his hand which was less than Lorenzo's three. Then the young Red made his draw.

 _Perfect._

"I use the effect of Valhalla to Special Summon Nova Summoner (1400 800) in defense mode," he said, "Then I'll set another monster and place one card face-down. Your move."

Taylor drew his card and grinned wickedly when he saw it.

"Your stalling won't work on The Taylor!" he declared, "For he has a drawn a card that will end this duel! Polymerization!" he finished, playing the magic card. A swirling vortex appeared on the field, sucking in Divine Dragon Ragnarok and Lord of D. The monsters swirled together, and eventually disappeared. Out of the vortex emerged a new dragon. This dragon was nearly as big as Blue-Eyes, with yellow skin, black wings, and a smoky white mane.

"Lorenzo, meet King Dragun (2400 1100)! He will lead The Taylor to victory!" Taylor claimed.

"Why is that?" Lorenzo asked, "Looks to me like he's weaker than your Blue-Eyes."

"True, King Dragun may not have as many attack points as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Taylor intoned, "But his effect gives him immense power! When King Dragun is on the field, you cannot select any Dragon-type monsters as the target of spell, trap, or monster card effects. Plus, once per turn, I can Special Summon one Dragon-Type monster from my hand. So whatever trap you set, won't work. Now, The Taylor can Special Summon Cave Dragon (2000 100) in attack mode!" A thick green and yellow dragon now appeared on Taylor's side of the field. "And now it's time to attack! Cave Dragon, destroy that face-down monster!"

"Don't forget about my trap!" Lorenzo cried, "I activate Fairy Box!" My trap card flipped face-up, and revealed a stylized purple box with several holes in the top. It resembled a carnival game. My monsters disappeared inside the box.

"The Taylor did not forget about your puny trap," his opponent countered, "But it looks like you forgot King Dragun's effect."

"Not at all," Lorenzo shot back, "Your King Dragun prevents me from _targeting_ Dragon's with card effects, but Fairy Box doesn't target."

"What!?" he cried.

"Allow me to explain," the Slifer continued, "When you attack, I toss a coin. If I call it wrong, the attack continues as usual. If I call it right, your monster's attack is reduced to 0!" A holographic coin appeared in the middle of the field. "Here goes, I call heads!"

The coin was 'tossed' into the air. It flipped several times, but ultimately landed on its tails side.

"Ha!" Taylor said, "Cave Dragon, destroy that pathetic face-down!" Cave Dragon blew a powerful stream of air from its mouth, flipping over Fairy Dragon (1100 1200) and blowing it to bits.

"So, you got lucky once. Do you really want to push it?" Lorenzo asked.

"Hmph, The Taylor isn't afraid of your game of chance. King Dragun, attack Nova Summoner!"

The coin once again appeared, and once again Lorenzo called heads. The coin was flipped and unlike last time, landed on heads. King Dragun was still forced to attack, launching a dark pulse of energy from its mouth at my defense-mode monster. The energy struck Nova Summoner and dissipated.

T: 7200 L: 5050

"Care to try again?" the Red asked mockingly.

"Blue-Eyes, White Lightning!" the Obelisk shouted without hesitation.

"Tails!"

The coin was again flipped, and it landed on heads once more. Blue-Eyes' attack tore through Nova Summoner, sending it straight to the graveyard.

"By destroying my monster, you've activated its effect," Lorenzo said, "Which allows me to summon another Light attribute Fairy-type monster with an attack of 1500 or less from my deck. So I Special Summon another Nova Summoner in defense mode."

"Eventually," Taylor began, "You'll run out of monster's to protect your lifepoints. You can't stall forever."

Lorenzo glared back at him as he drew his card. "Who's stalling?" he retorted, "First, I must pay 500 lifepoints during my Standby Phase to keep Fairy Box active."

T: 7200 L: 4550

"Next, I activate the field magic of The Sanctuary in the Sky!" A bright white cloud formed over the playing field. From the cloud, emanated a blindingly bright light. Taylor was forced to shield his eyes.

"Behold the instrument of my salvation!" Lorenzo cried, his arms spread to the heavens, "My Sanctuary will protect my Fairies and my lifepoints! Observe!"

The light subsided, allowing Taylor to uncover his eyes. What he saw made him gasp. On top of the cloud was a gleaming stone palace complete with a huge statue of an angel overlooking the sanctuary.

"Whoa," Taylor breathed.

"And it's not just a pretty building," the Slifer continued, "It holds immense power. For, as long as this card is on the field, Battle Damage to the controller of a Fairy-type monster from a battle involving that Fairy-Type monster becomes 0."

Taylor stoically took in this information. Then he began to roar…with laughter.

"What's so funny?" the Fairy duelist asked with some measure of irritation.

Taylor's laughter subsided, and he stopped to catch his breath before replying, "Nothing, Lorenzo, nothing is funny. The Taylor is merely glad that now this will be a truly memorable duel. Do your worst!"

"Be careful what you wish for! Now, I switch Nova Summoner into attack mode!"

"Hmmm…"

"And now, Nova Summoner attack Cave Dragon!"

"WHAT!?" Taylor exclaimed. Meanwhile, Nova Summoner fired a white beam from its center, and Cave Dragon countered with a gust from its mouth. The gust easily overpowered the Fairy's attack, and destroyed it in the process.

"Why would you do that?" Taylor asked, still shocked, "You don't lose lifepoints, and you can summon another monster in its place, but not a stronger one. What was the point?" Just then, a beam of light erupted from the Sanctuary, once again blinding the Obelisk.

"Once more, I will show you the power of The Sanctuary in the Sky!" Lorenzo declared, or rather, from Taylor's perspective, his silhouette declared, "When Nova Summoner is destroyed by battle while The Sanctuary is on the field, I can Special Summon a mighty angelic warrior!"

The light coalesced into the shape of a large armored fairy. When the light subsided, it revealed an angel wielding a sword and shield and wearing yellow and blue armor.

"Meet the powerful Airknight Parshath (1900 1400)!" The Obelisk looked rather unimpressed by the display.

"The 'mighty' Airknight would be a meal for King Dragun, let alone Blue-Eyes," he said.

"We'll see," Lorenzo replied, "I place one card face-down, and end my turn."

"It's time for The Taylor to make his move now," Taylor said. He drew his card, giving him two cards in his hand. In addition, he had two cards on the field, his monsters, King Dragun and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Both of which had attacks exceeding that of Lorenzo's only monster, Airknight Parshath. However, he had two traps to back him up, one face-down and the active Fairy Box.

"Spirit Ryu (1000 1000), join the battle!" Taylor cried.

This new dragon was much smaller than the other and had a blue hide with a beige underbelly. The 'roar' it emitted didn't sound nearly as threatening or scary as the other monsters in Taylor's deck. And, with its low stats, Airknight Parshath would easily vanquish it.

"Now, to activate Spirit Ryu's effect!"

"Effect!?"

"That's right," Taylor gloated, "If I attack with Spirit Ryu, I can discard a Dragon-type monster from my hand in order to double its attack and defense to 2000 points! So, Spirit Ryu, attack Airknight Parshath!"

Taylor discarded his last card to the graveyard, and Spirit Ryu immediately doubled in size. This time, the dragon's roar was much more intimidating. But, before it could attack, the holographic coin appeared on the field.

"Did you forget about Fairy Box?" Lorenzo teased, "I call heads!" The coin was flipped and when it was once again on the ground, it was tails side up.

"Ryu, destroy Parshath!" Taylor ordered. The blue dragon flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind at the Airknight

"I activate Graceful Dice!" Lorenzo cried. Suddenly, a small fairy with a large die appeared. Then, the fairy tossed the die in the air

"What happened?" Taylor asked in disbelief.

"My first trap failed, so I used my backup plan," Lorenzo replied, "When Graceful Dice is activated, I roll a die and increase my monster's attack by 100 times the number I rolled."

The die landed and rolled. When it came to a rest, the face showed five pips.

"That means that for the rest of this turn, Parshath's attack is 2400!" Lorenzo explained.

"No, Spirit Ryu!" Airknight Parshath blocked the gust attack with his shield and counterattacked with his sword, neatly slicing Ryu in half.

T: 6800 L: 4550

"Now, Parshath's effect kicks in. Since it caused battle damage to you, I get to draw a card," the Fairy duelist added.

"A clever move, but now only a coin stands between Blue-Eyes and the Airknight," Taylor said, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, unleash your White Lightning attack!"

"Heads!" Lorenzo called once the coin appeared. This time, lucked smiled upon the Slifer Red and the coin landed on heads.

"No! Blue-Eyes!" Taylor roared.

The white lightning attack was easily blocked by Parshath, who proceeded to destroy the powerful Dragon in similar fashion to Spirit Ryu. Taylor sagged to his knees at the loss of his monster.

* * *

Sheppard couldn't believe his eyes. The Slifer had taken down the Blue-Eyes! The chancellor had nearly spilled the half-eaten bowl of popcorn in his shock.

He once again gazed into the night. Now, he could see a wide beam of light shining into the woods past the Slifer Red dorm. He also saw a great angel statue rising into the sky.

 _Lorenzo Benitez. Let's see what else you can do._

* * *

T: 4400 L: 4550

"Are you okay?" Lorenzo asked.

"My…Blue-Eyes…" he said quietly.

"Hey, it's not the end of the world, alright. It's just a card." Lorenzo responded.

"You don't understand! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is more than a card to me!" Taylor angrily retorted. His eyes were alight with anger and determination.

"Make your move," he growled.

Wordlessly, the Red drew his card. Thanks to the effect of Airknight Parshath, he had drawn twice on his opponent's turn, once when Parshath took down Spirit Ryu and again when it defeated Blue Eyes. Now, Lorenzo held three cards after ending his last turn with none. Taylor had no cards in his hand, but still had King Dragun defending his lifepoints.

 _I wonder why he got so torn up about that Blue-Eyes,_ Lorenzo thought, _There's something deeper there. I get the 'connection' with your favorite monster thing. But this is something else. He even used first-person!_

"The Taylor told you to make your move!"

 _And he's back_.

"First, I pay 500 lifepoints to keep Fairy Box active," Lorenzo said.

T: 4400 L: 4050

"Now, it's time to take out your last line of defense," the Slifer stated, "Airknight Parshath, attack King Dragun!"

"Ha! You forgot that your monster's attack is no longer boosted by Graceful Dice," Taylor scoffed.

"No, it isn't. But, it's about to be boosted by this Quick-Play magic card: Ego Boost!" Lorenzo shot back.

"Shit, not again!"

"This card boosts a monster's attack by 1000 for the rest of the turn. And of course, I choose to boost Airknight Parshath's attack." The magic card kicked in, causing Parshath's body to enlarge, rivaling the size of King Dragun. Then, Parshath swung its sword and separated Dragun's head from the rest of its body.

T: 3900 L: 4050

"And because Parshath inflicted battle damage, I get to draw again." Lorenzo did so, but concluded his turn.

"Now, it's time to pay for destroying The Taylor's Dragons," the Obelisk threatened as he drew, "And this card is perfect: Monster Reborn!"

"I guess you'll get your Blue-Eyes White Dragon back, huh?" Lorenzo assumed.

"The Taylor has something much better in mind," he countered, "Be reborn, Darkblaze Dragon (1200 1000)!"

A skinny smoke-and-fire colored dragon with broad wings emerged from the ground to hover over Taylor's side of the field.

"I'm confused," the Red admitted, "That Dragon is weaker than my monster, and you have much stronger monsters in your graveyard. Plus, when did Darkblaze Dragon get in the graveyard?"

"The Taylor discarded Darkblaze Dragon for Spirit Ryu's effect. And as for why it over the other monsters, Darkblaze Dragon has a useful twofold effect," Taylor explained, "First, when it's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, its original attack and defense double (2400 2000). And second, when this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, it inflicts damage to my opponent equal to the attack of the destroyed monster."

"And The Sanctuary in the Sky doesn't protect against effect damage," Lorenzo finished.

"Exactly," Taylor confirmed, "Now Darkblaze Dragon, rid the field of Airknight Parshath!"

"Hold on! Time for the coin toss. Tails!" Fairy Box failed to stop the attack, as the coin came up heads.

The resurrected dragon released a ball of black flame that obliterated Airknight Parshath, kicking up smoke and dust

T: 3900 L: 2150

"My turn then," the Red said once the smoke cleared. He drew a card and grinned.

"Okay, I pay 500 lifepoints to keep Fairy Box active.

T: 3900 L: 1650

"But now I activate the magic card Supremacy Berry, which, when I'm losing, increases my lifepoints by 2000!"

T: 3900 L: 3650

"Not too shabby, if I do say so myself."

"You still have my Dragon to deal with," Taylor reminded him.

"For that, I set one monster and end my turn," Lorenzo said.

"Defense mode won't help you," Taylor said as he drew a card, "Darkblaze Dragon's effect still applies."

"Well, you'll have to win a coin toss for your attack to work," the Slifer retorted.

"Not quite," the Dragon duelist replied, "The Taylor plays Stamping Destruction! This magic card can only be activated if The Taylor controls a Dragon-type monster. Now, it destroys one magic or trap card on the field, like Fairy Box."

A giant reptilian foot materialized over the Fairy Box. The foot suddenly and powerfully stomped on the Box, utterly crushing it.

T: 3900 L: 3150

"What the hell?" Lorenzo asked, "Why did I lose lifepoints?"

"Stamping Destruction also inflicts 500 points of damage to the owner of the magic or trap card," Taylor now explained.

"Thanks for mentioning that," the Red said dryly.

"Now that that's out of the way, Darkblaze Dragon, attack his face-down monster!"

The dark fireball struck, revealing a red mechanical fairy with a gold design similar to an eye. It also destroyed said red mechanical fairy and a fair chunk of Lorenzo's remaining lifepoints.

T: 3900 L: 1650

"That monster was Agido (1500 1300)," the Fairy duelist said, "And when its destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, I roll a die and I can Special Summon a Fairy-type monster whose level is equal to the number I rolled from the graveyard."

"Another game of chance," Taylor deadpanned.

A holographic die was shown in the middle of the field. The die was 'tossed' into the air, spinning. It landed and eventually settled on a four.

"Perfect," Lorenzo said happily, "Welcome back Nova Summoner, in attack mode."

"The Taylor will once again destroy that puny monster next turn, but for now I end my turn."

 _If I don't get something good on this draw, he's gonna wipe me out next turn,_ the Red thought.

He slowly drew his card and looked at it for a good while.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," he said.

"Let's finish this," Taylor said as he drew his card, "Darkblaze Dragon, attack!"

" _Wrong move_!" the Red cried, "Activate trap, Lumenize!" Nova Summoner began to glow, and the fireball that Darkblaze Dragon had been preparing died.

"What did you do?" asked a bewildered Taylor.

"My Lumenize trap card negates the attack of your Dragon," the Red explained, "And there's more: Until my next End Phase, one Light monster I control gains attack points equal to the attack of the monster whose attack was negated. So, Nova Summoner's attack is increased by 2400!"

"But…it's stronger than Darkblaze Dragon!" Taylor realized.

"True, but there's a catch: My monster is also destroyed at my next End Phase, so I better make this turn count!" Lorenzo drew a card and cried, "Nova Summoner, attack!" The monster fired a powerful white beam that made Taylor wince and cover his eyes. By the time he looked at the field again, his monster was gone, and with it, a piece of his lifepoints.

T: 2500 L: 1650

"You may have destroyed The Taylor's monster," the Obelisk began, "But once you end your turn, your monster will be destroyed, and your lifepoints will be wide open!"

"Not exactly," the Slifer countered, "I sacrifice Nova Summoner in order to summon Tethys, the Goddess of Light (2400 1800)!" The glow around Nova Summoner grew until both parties had to shield their eyes. When the light faded, there stood a gleaming white fairy with pieces of golden armor.

"Tethys will defend my lifepoints, since she is unaffected by Lumenize," Lorenzo said.

"Once more, The Taylor is surprised by you," the Blue said, "The Taylor will stop underestimating his worthy opponent."

"Thank you," the Red said, somewhat taken aback, "I'll finish by playing Rain of Mercy, which gives each of us 1000 lifepoints."

T: 3500 L: 2650

Taylor drew, and quickly showed me the card.

"Pot of Greed," he announced, "Allowing The Taylor to draw two cards." He did this, and stared at the three cards he now held. Wordlessly, he set two cards face-down in his magic and trap card zones.

"Your move," he finally said.

 _I wonder what he just played. He made it seem significant_ , Lorenzo mused as he drew.

"Tethys, attack him directly!" he called.

She formed a ball of light between her hands, and fired it at Taylor. Oddly, he hadn't activated his face-down cards to defend himself.

T: 1100 L: 2650

"Better get a good draw, or next turn it's over," the Red said.

"The Taylor does not lose!" he declared, the fire back in his eyes. He drew his card enthusiastically and held it up for all to see: Graceful Charity.

"The Taylor assumes you know what this card does," he said jokingly. The Blue played the card and drew three more cards before discarding two of them. Then, he started laughing.

"Ha ha ha HA HA HA! Prepare yourself, for The Taylor will now summon his most powerful Dragon with the use of the magic card Dragon's Mirror!" Taylor cried.

A large gold framed mirror was now on Taylor's side of the field. Lorenzo stared at it in wonder.

"By removing Fusion Material monsters from my side of the field or in the Graveyard that form a Dragon-type Fusion Monster, I can Fusion Summon that monster," the Obelisk explained. Three translucent forms of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared around the Mirror and were sucked into the glass.

"Where did those Blue-Eyes come from?" Lorenzo asked, alarmed, as he watched the now swirling glass.

"You destroyed one. The other two were discarded by the effect of Graceful Charity. Now, emerge, _Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon_ (4500 3800)!"

* * *

 _Incredible,_ thought an awe-struck Sheppard.

* * *

Lorenzo watched mesmerized as a gigantic three-headed version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon stepped out of the Mirror and roared louder than any of Taylor's previous Dragons. Taylor's roar was just as loud.

"None have defeated The Taylor when he plays the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Lorenzo could believe it. Seto Kaiba, one of the greatest duelists to ever live, had made the monster legendary.

"Blue-Eyes, Neutron Blast attack!" Taylor ordered. All three heads powered up attacks similar to a normal Blue-Eyes' attack. The three attacks then combined into something more powerful, then launched at Lorenzo's monster, exploding on impact. When the smoke cleared, Tethys was no more.

T: 1100 L: 550

"Next turn," Taylor said, "It ends."

 _He's right,_ Lorenzo thought, _What he doesn't know is that I have a card in my hand that could take his Ultimate Dragon down. But I need the right card on this draw to make it work._

Lorenzo said a quick prayer and drew.

"Taylor," he said, "This has been a great duel. It's too bad it's about to end."

"You lived up to your potential," Taylor replied, "You fought well, but in the end, none can stand up to The Taylor!"

"Watch me," the Red responded, "I play Monster Reborn to bring back my old friend, Wingweaver (2750 2400)." The purple-haired angel from the start of this duel rose from the ground to stand before him.

"How nice," Taylor said condescendingly, "The Fighting Fairy has brought his favorite Fairy back to lose with him."

"Not exactly," Lorenzo retorted, "For I play the magic card Leeching the Light!" The magic card sucked a ball of glowing white energy from Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The energy ball hovered over the field, then made its way toward Wingweaver.

"What's going on!?" Taylor cried, alarm registering in his voice.

"Leeching the Light is a very powerful card. It allows me to choose one Light monster you control and increase the attack of all attack position monsters I control by the attack of the selected monster, until the End Phase. That means, Wingweaver gains 4500 attack points giving her a total of 7250!" the Slifer explained.

"Whoa…" the Dragon duelist breathed. The energy ball had made its way across the field and was absorbed by my monster.

* * *

"He's gonna do it!" Sheppard cried, "He's gonna take down the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!

* * *

"Wingweaver, attack the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and end this duel!"

Taylor had quickly regained his wits and was now grinning from ear to ear. _Why is he so happy?_ Lorenzo wondered. Then it hit him…

"SHIT! Your face-downs!"

"The Taylor activates his trap card, Ring of Destruction!" Suddenly a metal ring clamped itself around the neck of Wingweaver, stopping her attack.

"What did you do?" the Red asked.

"This trap allows me to target one monster and destroy it," he said, "In addition, both players lose lifepoints equal to the attack of that monster."

"But-" Lorenzo began but was cutoff as the Ring of Destruction suddenly exploded, making an ear-ringing bang and a cloud of dark smoke.

"-it's a draw!" he finished.

T: 0 L: 0

The smoke cleared and Wingweaver was gone. But across the clearing, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon still stood. A metal ring with four green shield-like projections was positioned in front of the Obelisk and his monster.

"I'm lost," the Slifer admitted.

"Ha ha ha! I told you no one could beat The Taylor! I activated the Quick Play Spell, Ring of Defense which negates effect damage from Trap cards!"

Lorenzo stared, "So…"

"The Taylor is victorious!" the Blue cried.

T: 1100 L: 0

* * *

Sheppard surveyed his office. Popcorn littered the floor as well as an overturned bowl. The chancellor had leapt out of his seat during that last move, spilling his late-night snack.

 _Maybe I should be more strict about breaking curfew,_ he thought glumly, _And I should definitely keep an eye on Lorenzo Benitez_.

* * *

The two duelists picked their way through the forest, guided by Taylor's Duel Pilot. They had agreed to continue these practice duels during the week. At Lorenzo's insistence, Taylor had assented to dueling at 9:30, so they wouldn't be breaking curfew.

"Man," Lorenzo sighed, "I can't believe I lost."

"That was a tremendous effort," Taylor reassured him.

"Thanks," the Red replied, "I have a couple questions."

"Shoot."

"Why do you call yourself 'The Taylor'?"

"Well you see, when I was a kid," the Obelisk began, "I was a lot smaller than everyone my age. I was poor too. San Diego is a pretty rich city, so even the kids I went to school with were middle class. They made fun of me and my old clothes."

"That's terrible," Lorenzo stated.

"Yeah," Taylor agreed, "I would daydream that I was a superhero called 'The Taylor' and I would use my super-strength to defend kids who got bullied, like me. So, when I started dueling and I started beating all the kids that used to pick on me, I felt like I _was_ The Taylor. And I guess I just became The Taylor."

"Alright, that's kinda cool."

"Thanks, but there's more," the Blue continued, "During high school, I entered tournaments up and down the West Coast, trying to win some money for my mom and I. And I did. I almost always won. Soon, The Taylor was a dueling legend. I got all kinds of local endorsements. Restaurants, arcades, barber shops. They were all paying me to promote their businesses. By my senior year, my mom and I moved out of our apartment and into a house."

"Wow," an impressed Lorenzo said, "That's pretty amazing."

"It was the least I could do. My mom worked all kinds of jobs to keep us afloat after my dad died."

"How did he die? How old were you?" Lorenzo pried.

Taylor looked forlorn as he answered. "He was in the military. I didn't see him much. When I was seven, he came home for six weeks before he was shipped out to Afghanistan. Those were the best weeks of my life. On my eighth birthday, he bought me a pack of Duel Monsters cards. I remember the pack was called 'Prophecy of White Dragon'." He started to tear up and his voice went soft.

"I opened the pack, and by some miracle or divine intervention, I found not one, not two, but _three_ Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. At the time, it was the happiest moment of my life. But then-" Taylor choked up, "A week later my dad left, and he never came home."

"I'm so sorry," Lorenzo said.

"It took me a few years before I could bring myself to use those cards," Taylor explained, "But now I use them to honor my dad's memory. I feel like, when I play the Blue-Eyes, my dad is still with me. That's why I got so torn up when you destroyed it during the duel."

"I understand now," the Fairy duelist said.

"Thank you," Taylor replied sincerely, "Now let's get back to campus before the sun rises."

"Agreed."

* * *

 _End credits music: 21 Guns, by Green Day_


	10. Preparations

**Saturday, September 13th**

"Professor Banner! Professor Banner!" Amy called across the cafeteria. The Slifer Red headmaster was across the room, having just entered the dining hall. John, sitting across from Amy and her chicken nuggets (for breakfast!?), watched Banner stride across the cafeteria towards them.

"Miss Hart, good morning," he said, bowing his head slightly, "Good morning to you too, Mr. Beal."

"Good morning," Amy said quickly, "I need to ask you something."

"Good morning, Professor Banner," John said politely, ignoring his impatient roommate.

Banner gave John an acknowledging look, but spoke to Amy, "What is it Miss Hart?"

"I would like to know why I am not in the Freshman Tournament," she said.

"I understand," Banner said, "I did nominate you, and I believe if we had a larger field you would have been included. Your undefeated record is quite impressive."

"Thank you, sir," she said, "But that doesn't really answer my question."

"Technically, you didn't ask a question," John mumbled.

Amy shot him a dark look and returned her attention to their headmaster.

"Unfortunately, Dr. Crowler questioned your record. He, correctly, pointed out that you have not dueled a Ra or Obelisk student," Banner explained, "He swayed enough of the staff that you lost the final vote to Mr. Miller. I must admit, he is an impressive prospect."

Amy nodded, thoughtfully chewing a nugget. "I'm disappointed I didn't get picked, but thank you for pleading my case, Professor."

"Of course, Miss Hart," he replied, "I will always look out for my students. Speaking of which, Mr. Beal, you aware that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yes?"

John laughed ruefully and said, "I'm gonna head over to the Ra Yellow dorm and visit Simon soon. I'll eat there."

"I quite understand," Banner said with a chuckle, "Before he arrived at Duel Academy, Professor Sartyr was a professional chef."

"It shows," John said, casting a distasteful look at Amy's chicken. She met John's gaze with two nuggets stuffed in her mouth.

"What?" she asked around her mouthful of food. John continued glaring as he wiped bits of chewed breading from his face.

* * *

 _Insert theme music here_

* * *

 **Sunday, September 14th**

"Whose idea was it to go hiking?" Simon wheezed.

"It's good for you," John said, smacking the shorter boy on the back, "Now get moving!"

"Can't," Simon replied, "Life flashing before my eyes. I see a light. Tell my mother... that I love her!" With that, he collapsed on the dirt path.

"I guess you and Bastion can carry him back," Anna suggested to John.

"Or we could leave him for the vultures," the Slifer countered.

"I concur," Bastion agreed.

"C'mon, Simon!" Amy cried, "The base of the volcano is only a half a mile further!"

"I can't hear you," Simon said into the ground, "I'm dead."

"Okay, leave him," Anna deadpanned.

The quintet was following a dirt path through the eastern woods. The path began near the Obelisk girls' dorm and ended at the volcano that dominated the island's northeast. They had set out shortly after breakfast and planned to eat lunch at the base before hiking up to the summit. The volcano had been dormant for so long that no one had bothered to name it. Its long lived dormancy was a major reason the island had been selected for Duel Academy.

"You guys suck," Simon muttered as he stood up and brushed the dirt from his shorts and 76ers t-shirt. For once, he didn't have a deck or a Duel Disk with him.

"You really should exercise more," Bastion chastised, "We still have a thousand foot climb."

"Don't remind me," Simon replied.

"Alright, let's go," Amy said, "We're wasting daylight."

"And time to practice for the tournament," Simon added.

"Not all of us are in the tournament," Anna scolded.

"Aw, is someone bitter?" John chided before being deservedly smacked in the arm.

"I just think I should be dueling," Anna said, "I was valedictorian at my prep school, after all. This Taylor Miller didn't even go to one."

"Neither did any of us," Amy pointed out.

"Besides, Taylor has won more duels than you've been in," Simon added, "While you were studying, he was entering every tournament west of the Mississippi."

"And winning most of them," Bastion chipped in, "He beat duelists with much more experience than any of us. That's why every academy in the country offered him a full scholarship, and Duel Academy even put him in Obelisk as a freshman."

"So what?" Amy asked, "He hasn't beaten anyone on this island!"

"That's right," John said, "You're bitter too."

"I'm not bitter!" the girls shouted in unison.

"Okay, maybe a little," Anna admitted.

"Yeah, me too," Amy said.

"Okay, let's think through the problem," Simon said, "We could ask Sheppard to add duelists to the Freshman Tournament."

"But there's no guarantee that Anna and Amy would be those duelists," Bastion pointed out.

"Plus, do you really think Chancellor Sheppard would add duelists?" John asked, "It wouldn't look good if it was you two since the tournament was your idea in the first place."

"I appreciate the thought, guys," Anna said, "But let's face it. Amy and I won't be in the tournament."

"No," Simon said thoughtfully, "But you could duel each other."

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Okay, hear me out," Simon began, "We could hold a duel Friday after class as an opening act type thing. We spread the word about this duel, get a good crowd in the arena, do it up right."

"That could be fun," Anna allowed.

"I'm in if you are," Amy said.

"Alright," the Obelisk said, "Let's do it!"

"Good," Simon said, "Now, we have to start planning and letting people know, maybe make flyers, I could ask Brandon if we can put something in the _Tribune-_ "

Simon began walking down the path towards campus as he was talking, until John grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him in the opposite direction.

"Oh no you don't!" cried the bigger Slifer, "We are finishing this hike first!"

"Dammit!" Simon cursed, "So close!"

* * *

 **Tuesday, September 16th**

When Zane left his Advanced Traps class, he hadn't expected to be greeted by the scene outside the Main Campus. A small crowd had gathered off the path that led to the dorms. Zane thought of that path as Island Route 1.

Zane shouldered his way through the throng of red, yellow, and blue. The Duel King himself wore white as was tradition. Someone, Crowler he suspected, always replaced the Duel King's blue uniforms with more white ones. Zane didn't mind; he'd preferred the white with blue as a freshman and had worn it as often as possible. It helped that once people saw his white blazer and blue hair, they moved aside. He quickly reached the inner circle of the crowd.

Zane had assumed, correctly, he would be witnessing a duel. A girl in a blue blazer and matching skirt with short black hair stood across from a boy in a yellow blazer and jeans with messy brown hair. They both wore active Duel Disks and a pair of monsters faced each other between them.

"You think you're one of the four best freshman at Duel Academy and you can't even beat my B team?" the Ra, who Zane now recognized as Simon Brown, scoffed at his opponent.

"You may have a stronger monster but just try to attack!" the Obelisk girl challenged.

"Oh, I will," Brown responded, "And I'll take care of your trap first. I play Mystical Space Typhoon!" Suddenly, the girl's face-down card was sucked into a vortex and shattered.

"Oh no! My Mirror Force!" she cried.

"Now, I equip Megamorph to my Bitelon (2400 1000→4800 1000) which doubles my monster's attack since I have less lifepoints," Brown announced, "Now, Bitelon destroy her Stone Statue of the Aztecs (300 2000) and end this!"

"But my monster is in defense mode," the girl pointed out.

"Bitelon has a piercing effect," the Ra said, "This duel is over."

Brown's monster, a huge purple flying serpent with a very large mouth, bit into the Blue's monster, a giant green rock head statue, and shattered it into pixels. The girl must have lost because the holograms faded soon after the attack. When they did, Zane noticed Manni Rodriguez, wearing his blue blazer with collar up, a black tee, and dark sunglasses, was standing across from him in the crowd. Manni sneered when he noticed the Duel King.

"Well, who's next?" Brown shouted into the crowd, "I got all day!" Then the Ra's eyes fell on Zane.

"How about you?" he said, pointing at the blue-haired man, "Wanna duel? I'll use my _best_ cards against the Duel King."

"Don't you have homework?" Zane asked.

"I don't know," Brown replied, "I didn't go to class today."

"What?"

"I got five, or was it six, duels in though," he continued.

Zane glared at the freshman. "Look, kid. There's more to this place than dueling everyone in sight," he said icily, "It's a school for a reason."

"I'm here to get better, to be the best, to be _you_ ," the Ra fired back, "How am I supposed to do that in a classroom?"

"If you want to be me, go to class," Zane replied, " _I_ listen to the professors. _I_ do my homework. _I_ study for the exams. That is why I am who I am. _That_ is how I got my title! This school has produced star duelists thanks to their rigorous curriculum and great staff, and if you don't take advantage of that, then you're an idiot."

Zane cut through the crowd and headed for Route 1. "Challenge me again when you pull your head out of your ass."

* * *

Manni couldn't believe the look on the smug Ra's face. Although he hadn't agreed with most of Truesdale's rant, he took great pleasure in the effect it had on the arrogant freshman.

He recovered quickly, though. "Anyone still want to duel? Perhaps another Obelisk? I'm not tired of beating you guys blue."

Manni removed his sunglasses and put them in a pocket on his blazer. From that pocket, he retrieved his deck.

"You're on." _I'll show you who really deserves to challenge Truesdale._

* * *

"Do you know who that is?" Bastion asked.

Simon paused from shuffling his next test deck and looked at Bastion. His friend had a worried expression on his face.

"No," Simon admitted, "But he seemed pretty pissed at Zane for some reason."

"That's Manni Rodriguez!" Bastion said, "He's a second year Obelisk who has only lost to one duelist in his _life_."

"Zane?"

Bastion nodded.

"You done exchanging recipes?" Manni called.

"Let's do this, Rodriguez!" Simon responded, activating his Disk.

S: 4000 M: 4000

"I'll give you first move," Simon said after he drew his opening hand.

"You'll regret that," Manni sneered and drew, "I play a spell card called Dark Magic Curtain."

 _Wait, but that means he's summoning…No!_

"I pay half my lifepoints," the Obelisk continued, "To Special Summon from my deck the Dark Magician (2500 2100)!"

S: 4000 M: 2000

 _Yugi Muto's signature monster!_

A skeleton floated above the field wearing a long flowing cape that formed a circular curtain beneath it. The curtain parted and out stepped the Dark Magician, but it was not Yugi Muto's signature monster. Where Yugi's Magician had worn purple robes, carried a green staff, and had blue hair, this Magician had blood red robes, a ruby staff, and white hair. It wore a sneer to match its owner.

"Since I can't summon anything else the turn I activate Dark Magic Curtain, I end my turn," Manni said.

Simon drew a card and looked over his hand. _I don't have anything that can beat his Dark Magician right now,_ he thought, _But I can set up a pretty strong defense_.

"I play the Field Spell card A Legendary Ocean!" he announced, placing a card in the Field slot. The duelists and moderate crowd appeared to be underwater and ruins rose up around them.

"As long as this card is on the field, its name is treated as 'Umi'. Also, all Water monsters in the hand and on the field have their level reduced by one and their attack and defense raised by 200," the Ra explained.

"Fine," Manni said.

"Next, I summon The Legendary Fisherman (1850 1600→2050 1800), which is normally level five, but thanks to my Field card I can summon him without a tribute," Simon continued. A man with wild dark hair, a spear, no shirt, and a muscular frame appeared riding on a shark. The monster swiftly swam around the ruins.

"Still can't beat my monster," Manni pointed out.

"Luckily he doesn't have to," Simon countered, "As long as 'Umi' is on the field, my Fisherman is unaffected by spells and can't be targeted for attacks, but you can still attack my lifepoints."

Manni was silent. He just stared at the Ra with piercing dark eyes.

"I'll finish my turn with two face-down cards," Simon concluded.

"It's about time," Manni snarled ashe ripped a card from his deck.

"About time for me to activate a trap!" Simon interjected, "Tornado Wall!"

One of the Ra's face-down cards was revealed and dark brown tornadoes began swirling around the field.

"And what is that supposed to do?" Manni asked.

"As long as Umi is on the field, Tornado Wall will prevent me from taking battle damage," Simon explained, "So you can't hit me or my Fisherman."

Manni grinned and placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the magic card Dark Magic Attack! When this card is played while I control Dark Magician, it destroys every spell and trap you control!"

"Oh, shit," Simon muttered. An orb of dark energy formed at the end of the red Magician's staff and blasted at Simon's field. It exploded, revealing Simon's remaining trap as Torrential Tribute, before shattering it. Then, the shockwave crumbled the undersea ruins and the field returned to normal.

 _Well I_ was _going to use Tornado Wall to stop his attacks_ , Simon thought, _But now I'm screwed_.

"Next, I play Magical Dimension," the Obelisk announced, "This magic card only works when I control a face-up Spellcaster. By tributing a Spellcaster from my side of the field, I can Special Summon one from my hand."

A sarcophagus chained to a steel frame appeared on Manni's side of the field. It opened and the Dark Magician stepped inside. The sarcophagus closed, glowed with purple energy, and then opened again. A new monster stepped out of the ancient tomb.

"This is Dark Magician Girl (2000 1700)," Manni said. The monster had flowing blonde hair, big blue eyes, and milky skin. Instead of robes, she wore a short pink skirt, a blue top that fell off her shoulders and revealed a generous amount of cleavage, and matching gauntlets and wizard's hat of blue and pink. She was a monster so beautiful that there were websites devoted to her (not that Simon had ever visited those!). The crowd was enamored but Manni was unaffected.

"Why sacrifice Dark Magician for her?" Simon asked.

"Because when I summon a Spellcaster using Magical Dimension, I can destroy a monster on the field," Manni explained, "And I choose to destroy your Fisherman now that he's affected by spells."

The open sarcophagus glowed again and The Legendary Fisherman was sucked inside. The tomb closed, then disappeared.

"And I'm not finished yet," the Obelisk said, "For every Dark Magician in either graveyard, Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points!"

(DMG: 2000 1700→2300 1700)

"Next, I activate Sage's Stone," Manni continued, "I can only activate this when I control Dark Magician Girl, and when I do I can Special Summon Dark Magician from my hand or deck."

"You have multiple Dark Magician's?" Simon asked, already knowing the answer.

"You're damn right I do," Manni fired back, "I Special Summon Dark Magician (2500 2100) from my hand!" Manni's red robed Magician appeared next to his female counterpart.

"And since you're defenseless, this duel is over!" the Blue called, "Magicians, attack!"

Dark Magician Girl powered up her staff and fired an orb of bright energy at Simon that struck him in the midsection. Then Dark Magician launched a larger black and red orb at him that sent him sprawling.

S: 0000 M: 2000

The Ra sat up holding his head. A shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see Manni standing over him.

"Learn your place, Ra," he sneered, "Or I'll have to put you in it." With that, he stalked away through the dispersing crowd.

"Are you alright?" Bastion asked, rushing to his fallen friend's side.

"I think so," Simon answered, "Pride took a hit. I think I'll have to retire that deck."

"That was quite the onslaught," Bastion stated.

"Tell me about it." Simon took the offered hand and got to his feet.

"When this tournament is over, I'm going to find a way to take that guy down," he declared.

"Easier said than done," Bastion replied.

"Oh, c'mon Bas," Simon said throwing his arm over his friend's shoulder, "Have a little faith."

"I have faith," Bastion said, "Just more in him than you."

"Thanks, buddy."

* * *

 **Friday, September 19th**

 ** _Freshman Tournament Duelist Profiles and Preview_**

By Joseph Fast and Simon Brown

 _As you know, Duel Academy's first Freshman Tournament will begin this Saturday at 5:00 PM with the Finals taking place on Sunday at 3:00 PM. The tournament will feature four duelists selected by Duel Academy's staff who they believe to be the very best of this year's historically large freshman class. Below, the_ Island Tribune's _Duel Monsters analysts preview the first round matchups. (Dorms in parentheses)_

 _Bastion Misawa (Ra Yellow) vs Jacob Fast (Obelisk Blue)_

 _SB: Bastion Misawa is not an opponent to take lightly. Those that know of him probably already know about his eidetic memory and perfect entrance exam. Less of the student body knows about his tremendous skill. Bastion has used more unique cards than all but one duelist (who we'll get to later) since the beginning of the school year. His variable strategies make him exceedingly difficult to prepare for, something Mr. Fast has likely realized by now._

 _Meanwhile, Bastion himself is a meticulous planner. He likes to know everything he can about his opponent, and then use his encyclopedic knowledge to build the perfect counters to their favorite strategies. It would be a surprise if Bastion does not use more new cards in this duel._

 _Far more is known about Jacob Fast. Although he shares a name with Pro Dueling star Jeremy Fast and the_ Tribune's _own Joseph Fast, his dueling style is altogether different. Jacob uses LV monsters to decimate his opponents with many built in ways to summon the most powerful monsters in a chain._

 _Once he manages to summon the highest level monster in an LV chain, Fast is nigh unstoppable. Those monsters have debilitating effects to go with high attack points. Plus, once he has one powerful monster out, he can begin the process of a getting a second one on the field._

 _The LV monsters do have weaknesses. Their lower level forms often need to stay on the field to summon the high level beasts, and drawing the high level monsters early in a duel is problematic. But Jacob has a deck built to hide these flaws. Of course, each chain has its own weaknesses, but with no way to know which chain will be featured in a given duel, focusing on their individual vulnerabilities is pointless._

 _Prediction: If anyone can expose and take advantage of the weaknesses of the LV monsters, it's Bastion. He simply has much more information than Fast to prepare for this matchup. Bastion Misawa will be in the finals._

 _Simon Brown (Ra Yellow) vs Taylor Miller (Obelisk Blue)_

 _JF- It would be a disservice to the readers if I did not at least touch upon the selection of these duelists. Mr. Miller's selection is both perfectly understandable and wildly controversial while Mr. Brown's selection has the Obelisk Blue dorm out for blood. Although I see why some students believe they have a better claim to be in this tournament than these two, I must disagree with them._

 _Let's start with Simon Brown. We all know about his actions that led Dr. Crowler to have him duel my brother on the second day of school. Reports are that his classroom effort and behavior have remained disappointing. He has also lost more than duels than anyone this year (25). However, he also has the most wins (50) and only one loss against an Obelisk freshman (to Jacob). He belongs here._

 _Taylor Miller does as well. He has only dueled one other student since he arrived at Duel Academy Island, so I understand why many would question whether he has earned this spot. He has. He arrived at the Academy as perhaps the most accomplished and heralded freshman in Duel Academy history. No one wants to duel him; therefore, he hasn't dueled. Now, he will._

 _We all know what to expect from the Dragon of the West. He has Blue-Eyes and he will use them. He will pound your monsters and your lifepoints into submission. But Miller also has plenty of other powerful Dragons and Dragon support to flesh out his deck and add versatility. His opponents cannot focus solely on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and expect to win._

 _Luckily for us, this opponent is smarter than that. Not only has Simon dueled more than anyone in these past few weeks, but he has used twice as many unique cards as anyone else. There is absolutely no way to know what he will throw at Taylor's Dragons. I, for one, am anxious to find out._

 _Prediction: Taylor has been in more tournaments than anyone on this island. His first at Duel Academy should be no problem, despite his opponent's resourcefulness. Taylor Miller should win this duel._

* * *

 _End credits music: I'm So Sorry by Imagine Dragons_


End file.
